Don’t let thebanks cash in

www.hifx.co.uksee page 13

Don’t let thebanks cash in

www.hifx.co.uksee page 13see page 15

olive pressThe original and only English-language

investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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FREE Vol. 7 Issue 158 www.theolivepress.es April 4 - April 18, 2013

the

EXCLUSIVE By Mason Jones

Turn to page 14

Why everyone was wearing a hat this Easter ... even the donkey!

Forced out Junta boss was 'cashier' in ERE scandalJUNTA boss Jose Antonio Grinan has been accused of sanctioning the ERE slush fund scandal.The fraud – the biggest public money scam in Span-ish history - saw a regional development fund used to pay bogus early retirement payments to up to 100 indi-viduals, often for companies they had never even worked for.A further four people have been arrested in the scandal which the PP party believes could total up to one billion euros illegally syphoned off by Junta officials.

EmbezzledGrinan has now been forced to stand up for his 'honour and dignity' after PP boss Juan Zoido accused him of being the "cashier of the ERE" during his time as Fi-nance Minister. He added that he must have known about the money that was syphoned off dur-ing his time in charge be-tween 2004 and 2009.Fellow Employment Min-ister Francisco Guerrero - who masterminded the scheme that has so far seen €136m of public money embezzled - has now been jailed again without bail.

A BRITISH family have been driv-en from their home after suffer-ing ten years of attacks from their neighbours.The Baker family have been forced to flee their home in Alhaurin el Grande after a string of break-ins and intimidating tactics that even included firing airgun pellets through a child's bedroom win-dow.“We’ve had our front door set fire to, tyres slashed, windows broken and shot at, they are very intimi-

dating,” said Ian Baker, 42, who runs an air conditioning business.Over the years the family have been burgled five times and had their home attacked over a dozen times.The final straw came when his van was set on fire a fortnight ago.He has now fled him home with his wife, Claire, 39, and his two

children Zaria, 9, and Harry 12.“We moved out two weeks ago and the property has already been broken into again twice,” he added. “There seems to be no way of stopping them getting in. I have no idea what to do.”He claims his family are the third British family to leave the street af-ter becoming victims of a gypsy com-munity in the Bajondillo area of the town.He insists all attempts to talk to the group have failed.When he saw a group of youths shooting an air-rifle towards his house he told them to pack it in. “The next thing a bullet came through my son's window,” he said.He has been forced to go public on the situation as the police have failed to do anything to protect his family.“It just seems a waste of time con-tacting the police, there are so many break-ins in the area,” he added. Each time he has reported it the po-lice have done nothing, he insists. “Clearly they are very understaffed.

When I called them to tell them my van had been torched they said they were busy on another job.”They were unable to use CCTV he had installed, as the footage was not clear enough to identify the perpetra-tors as they set fire to his van. Of the two other British owners who have fled, one house has been 'com-pletely wrecked' while the other 'now has gypsies living in it!', claims Bak-er.A spokesman for the town hall in-sisted she was unable to comment on the case. Police were also unavailable for comment.Over the years the neighbourhood has seen various schemes to try and improve the relationship between the gypsy community and other locals. In 2006, €180,000 was allocated to improve Bajondillo and other surrounding areas, while in 2011 Mayor Juan Martin Seron called for ‘more solidarity and social balance’ between the gypsy community and other locals.

Expats flee home after police fail to deal with years of abuse from neighbours

EXHAUSTED: Baker with Harry and Zaria and Alhaurin

See our Semana Santa picture special on page 4

2 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 CRIME NEWS

OPPOSITION leaders are calling for a PP boss to resign after photographs emerged of him holiday-ing with a convicted drug smuggler.Albert Nunez Feijoo, leader of the Galicia region, faces a grilling after several pic-tures were published of him in the company of notori-ous drugs lord Marcial Do-rado.The pictures, believed to have been taken in the mid-90s, show Feijoo and Dorado relaxing on a boat while others show the pair at a property owned by the criminal.The politician has admit-ted to having a ‘personal relationship’ with Dorado but insisted he had no idea about his friend’s illegal ac-tivity at the time.Feijoo said he immediately cut all ties with Dorado fol-lowing his arrest.However, a spokeswoman from the Galician Left Al-

Bad company By Mason Jones

Resignation calls as Galicia leader is linked with infamous Spanish drug lord

CHUMS: Feijoo (front) and drug dealer Dorado on his speedboatternative party insist that the whole region knew of Dorado’s links with organ-

ised crime.The party has also demand-ed that the PP official pro-

vide ‘convincing explana-tions’ as to why he was so close to Dorado.

FIVE local police officers are facing seven years in prison after being accused of traf-ficking impounded drugs in Mijas.The officers were first arrested in November 2009 after seizing 175 kilos of hashish before allegedly transporting it in patrol cars to a ci-vilian’s home for storage.The homeowner who allegedly stored the drugs faces up to four years in prison.The case is one of several similar incidents of police being involved in drug dealing around Andalucia in recent months.

More police in drugs arrestsA BRITISH man and

woman have been arrest-ed in Malaga in connec-tion with the production of over €2.4million worth of cannabis.The couple are believed to have fled to Spain follow-ing raids on three canna-bis factories in the UK in 2011. A spokesman from Kent Police said the pair were caught after a European arrest warrant was is-sued. They are now await-ing extradition back to the UK.

Extradition for drugs

3www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012NEWS

MARBELLA has a licence to thrill with a Tribute to 50 Years of 007. The James Bond charity evening takes place at the Beach House this Thurs-day and will mix all 007's style, glamour and sophis-tication with a cocktail and canapé reception. As well as a three course meal an auction will be hosted by The Olive Press’s columnist Giles Brown, in conjunction with Thomas Crown Art.The proceeds are going to Mijas Costa-based animal shelter, PAD. Dress code

THE crisis is even hitting Hollywood's finest. Javier Bardem has been forced to sell his family restaurant in Madrid.La Bardemcilla is shutting down 'af-ter two years of prolonged losses', ex-plained a spokesman for Bardem, who is married to Penelope Cruz.“Like many small businesses it is clos-ing its doors,” he added.Eleven workers are set to lose their jobs when the restaurant, which is situated in the capital’s Chueca district, finally shuts up shop.It comes just months after Bardem sug-gested that the country’s high unem-ployment figures actually 'suited the government'.

HE will go down in folklore as one of the mystery men of the heady Sixties.And now a book, published in Spain for the first time, tells the story of Spanish Tony, who became Rolling Stone Keith Richards drug dealer and bodyguard in London.The book 'I was Keith Richards Drug Dealer' (Yo fui el camello de Keith Rich-ards) tells how the son of poor Spanish mi-grants landed the incredible position with one of Britain's most legendary groups.Heralding from Cadiz, Spanish Tony was working as a croupier in a Soho casino when he had met Richards, and later Brian Jones and even Beatle John Lennon, via an art dealer friend who lived in Mayfair.He had soon become the Stones guitarist's gofer, dealer and bodyguard and served as his confidente regarding his chequered love life.His book chronicles the incredible drug taking that went on at the time, the turbu-lent relationship between Keith, Mick Jag-ger and Anita Pallenburg and the life of a Spaniard living in London.

GARDEN lovers will have the chance to get some top tips from Ground Force star Tommy Walsh over tea and cake this month.Weight loss specialists Cambridge 800 is offer-ing 30 tickets to meet the star when he appears at the Homes, Gardens & Lifestyle Show in Torre-molinos."We always want to en-courage healthy eating and one cup cake will con-tain approximately 225 calories, so a good walk around the exhibition and you will have burned off all those calories,” said Sarah Hawes, director of Cambridge 800.“A little of what you fancy, occasionally, is good for you!"Tickets are just €2.50 with a percentage go-ing to the Positively Pink charity.The show runs from April 27 to April 28 at the Pa-lacio de Congresos with an action packed line-up of activities and exhibits already scheduled.

To get your tickets email s a r a h h a w e s @ c a m -bridge800.es or call 952 586 324/952 475 954

Gone rotten

The Return of Spanish Tony

Former bodyguard to Rolling Stone Keith Richards has book published in Spain

The book talks about his inevitable addiction to cocaine and later heroin and how his girlfriend died of a drug overdose.Mystery surrounds his later life, after he published his memoirs for the first time in 1979.While he later moved to Valencia he is said to have died in 2000.

CLIENTELE: Tony (far left) and here (at back) with Richards and Anita Pallenburg

LICENCED TO THRILL

Tea with Tommy

Katie's Spanish nuptials

is Bond and Bond girl, or your favourite Bond vil-lain.

BRITAIN’S most famous glamour model has tied the knot again with Kieran Hayler, this time with a touch of Spain.Katie Price, 34, designed the provocative wedding gear herself, opting for an ostrich feather bodice hand stitched in Spain before being encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

4 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 44 NEWS

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EASTER SPECIAL

THERE'S SOMETHING BEHIND YOU

While it was the wettest March on record plenty of Semana Santa parades went ahead as planned

THE CROSSES WERE OUT IN FORCE IN SETENIL DE LAS BODEGAS ON MAUNDY THURSDAY

5www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 20125 NEWS

From Page 1

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6 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

OPINION

The original and only English-languageinvestigative newspaper in Andalucía

Tel: 951166060 (admin) or 951127006 (editorial)A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press rep-resents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 186,000 copies distributed monthly (120,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029Urb Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350 MalagaPrinted by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.Editor: Jon Clarkejon@theolivepress.esReporters:Frances Leate frances@theolivepress.esMason Jones mason@theolivepress.es

Distribution: 951 166 060

Admin/advertising sales:Pauline Olivera admin@theolivepress.esSALES TEAM:West Costa del Sol Jane Jewson 673 958 858AxarquiaCharlie Bamber 661 452 180CadizElizabeth Gould 683 337 342Ronda/San Pedro/MarbellaJon Clarke 691 831 399

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FEATURE

Andalucia has been producing and exporting olive oil for over a 1000 years and now accounts for 22% of the global market. The Deoleo factory in Almeria is the second biggest in the world and the com-pany exports to 120 countries. Andalucia has also seen a steady increase in ecological oil, with a 37 % increase since 2004. At the the Third European Market for Organic Products in London last year, nine organic companies from Andalucia promoted their products, includ-ing three olive oil producers from Jaén and Córdoba.

Reasons to be CHEERFUL

Despite the gloomy Easter weather and equally gloomy forecast for the economy, there are still plenty of positives giving Spain hope for the year ahead... Here Giles Brown picks out his Top Ten

IT'S not all doom and gloom in Spain. Although the country still seems to be bump-ing along the bottom of the 'crisis' and the Bank of Spain warned last week that unemployment may reach 27% with no growth likely until 2014, there are still some reasons to be cheerful. And many of the things that Spain excels in can be found right here in Andalucia! Here is my list of the 10 things proving that Spain is anything but on the verge of complete collapse:

Liquid Gold

Not suprisingly, tourism also rates highly. According to the World Tourism Organisation, Spain has "the best tourism balance in the world" a statement that is supported by the fact that Spain is also the fourth most popular tourist destination in the world.

Tourism

WineThe country is the third largest producer of wine in the world, after France and Italy and enjoys a great reputation in China, one of the fastest growing markets in the world. In the list of the 100 best wines in the world 'Wine in China' magazine includes 21 Spanish wines and 19 scored over 90 points. China has also doubled the amount of Spanish wine that it imports, up to 1,5 million litres last year. Some-thing to drink to!

Security issues

IF people do not feel safe in their own home, as Ian Baker claims in our front page story, then there is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with urgently.It is rare that we come across a story of such lawlessness and bullying in Spain... and one that Baker's family has had to en-dure for years.The town hall and police should not be shying away from the is-sue, but instead be tackling it head on.It does not look good for the town, or for the police, if local ex-pats feel unprotected by the local authorities.What makes the situation worse is that Baker claims he is not the only one to feel this way, with at least three other families also falling victim to harassment, vandalism and theft in the area.The town hall must admit there is a big problem that needs recti-fying before something even more serious happens.

Moving forward

IT seems that what was once brushed under the carpet and put down to individual cases is finally being recognised as an en-demic problem in Spain.While we have been reporting on it for years, it finally seems that the public realises the problem that corruption is causing the country.Indeed in an explosive new poll 40% put it as the country's sec-ond biggest issue to tackle.It comes as Judge Mercedes Alaya oversees an investigation into the biggest public money scam in Spain’s history, the ERE scandal.Four more people have now been jailed and the Sevilla judge seems intent on following up at least 80 more individuals sus-pected of taking illegal payouts.That this money was destined to help struggling companies and to stimulate growth is nothing short of disgusting.At least the country is now recognising the problem and with the likes of Judge Alaya pursuing the wrongdoers, perhaps Spain can start to stamp out its second biggest problem.

7www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 20129 FEATURE

DonersObviously we hope that you will never need to have a transplant, but if you do you're living in the right coun-try. Spain leads the world when it comes to organ trans-plants, with 35,3 doners per milllion people and more than 4,200 transplants took place in 2011.

Solar EnergyFuentes de Andalucia, just outside Sevilla, is the world leader in thermosolar energy thanks to the Gemosolar plant in the town. Abengoa Solar, which has a factory in Sanlúcar La Mayor, is currently constructing the largest thermosolar plant in the world in Arizona. The largest so-lar panel plant in Europe sits on the border of Granada and Almeria provinces.

LeatherIn the world of fashion, the leatherworkers of Ubrique in Cadiz province provide leather for international brands including Calvin Klien, Prada and Christian Dior, mak-ing up 36% of the market. The most valuable markets are Japan, which imported €12,1 million last year, and Hong Kong which imported €11,7 million.

FoodForget the calamatous calamares, terrible tortilla or ghastly gazpacho, Spain has become a world leader in gastronomy. The Basque region now counts a mouth-watering 28 Michelin stars. There are even half a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants in Andalucia and Marbel-la's very own Dani Garcia (two starred Calima) recently launched his first venture in New York.

SportWhere do you want to start? Rather than the usual Brit-ish way of watching sport (with your hands covering your eyes while cowering behind the sofa until we lose on penalties/go out to a big serving Slav in the semis/drive into the wrong pit) Spain's sports stars make it all look easy. At least the King gets to take his mind off his cur-rent domestic problems by flying around the world to hand out trophies to winning Spaniards!

MusicThough you may not be the biggest fan of Iglesias Snr or Jr, Alejandro Sanz, Miguel Bose or any other Spanish act, Spain has some of the best music festivals in Eu-rope and this year is no exception. Sonar in Barcelona in June will feature Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys and Skrillex, while Benacassim in July is headlined by Primal Scream and The Killers. The glitzy Starlite Festival in Marbella meanwhile will see Julio Iglesias, Buena Vista Social Club, Alejandro Sanz, Paco de Lucia and Jamie Cullum perform this summer.

Spain has the best fast trains in Europe and arguably the world, and not only has America consulted Spain about its fast-track AVE lines, now the country has landed the peach contract to build the so-called Des-ert Train from Meca to Medina in Saudi Arabia. Planned from a factory in Las Tablas, near Madrid, this lucrative project will be finished in 2016 and demonstrates how the Spanish frequently lead the world in technology and engineering.

Fast Trains:

8 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 NEWS

9www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

NEWS

THEY were only trying to help the bereaved keep the graves of their loved ones clean and put up flowers.But three florists found themselves taken to court for lending step lad-ders to families at the cemetery where they worked in Granada.Now a judge has ruled that bosses were wrong to denounce them for helping relatives.The case was brought by the com-pany that runs the San Jose cem-

THOUSANDS of lager-loving British students have de-scended on Spain for the 11th annual Saloufest.Billed as a ‘sporting tournament’ the drinking bingo, in the Catalan resort of Salou, has failed to show holidaymaking Brits in their most attractive light. Disgraceful scenes show students guzzling beer and vodka, dressing up and most of the time ending up semi-naked or being sick.Despite this, many local business owners insist the three week event provides a welcome cash injection to the crisis-hit town, with many bars full to capacity on many nights

IT is not just British lagerlouts who have been shocking Spain.An estimated 18,000 Granada teenagers left a shocking 49 tonnes of rubbish to clear up after their annual so-called 'macro-botellon' in the city.The mass drinking event, which is at-tended by more peo-ple each year, caused outrage in the city, in part after causing six kilometres of tail-backs.It certainly can't have pleased the lo-cal dustmen.

Flower PowerPOLICE are investigating the death of a British pensioner who was found inside his burnt out car in Almeria.Neighbours tried desperately to extinguish the fire, which enveloped the car outside Keith Bleakley's house in Oria, near Albox.It was his wife's Ford Fiesta and it initially ap-pears to be an accident, say sources.

Health and safety case against three cemetery florists thrown outetery in Granada, insisting that the ladders caused a risk of injury as well as damage to the cemetery itself. Since banning the florists' ladders in 2012, Emucesa offered the op-tion of having “trained ladder oper-ators” clean headstones and place fresh flowers for a fee of €6. The judge ruled against the compa-ny and ordered Granada Town Hall to pay costs.

WHAT A CHEEK!

Botellon Blues

EXPAT BURNS TO DEATH IN HIS CAR

10 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 NEWS10

IT seems the rain in Spain falls mostly in March, ac-cording to recent figures from meteorological offi-cials.You probably guessed it, but

A COLOURFUL exhibi-tion has highlighted the difficult years that Spain faced during transition to democracy. The exhibi-tion in Salamanca com-prised of stickers, which became an important method of protest during the late 1970s. The first sticker appeared the day after the death of Franco in November 1975 with the pro-democracy leg-end 'Juan Carlos I Rey de España'. In the following, transition years stickers were used to express all types of opinion, including

WETTEST MARCH FOR 60 YEARS

Despite a dry winter, the heavens opened last month

after a generally dry winter March was the wettest on record.A total of 150 litres per me-tre square fell across Spain on average last month,

which is 50% more than normal.The previous highest figure was in 1947 when it rained 147 litres.It comes after December, January and February saw a combined figure of just 143 litres, compared with an av-erage of 220 litres.Over the last nine days of the month nearly 100 litres fell around the country.Local daily records were broken in Soria and Zamora where nearly 30 litres fell in just one day.And while we may feel grate-ful we are not experiencing the prolonged freezing tem-peratures blasting through many parts of Northern Eu-rope, it certainly has put a dampener on things.But on the bright side, ex-perts say most of Spain’s reservoirs are almost com-pletely full.

Stuck on you

pro and anti-abortion. One showed a picture of a baby holding a placard which read: 'It is good to live... when you are wanted' while another pleaded: 'Reds – no thanks!' in a play on the UK slogan 'Nuclear Power – no thanks!'

11www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012NEWSNEWS 11

AN ANIMAL shelter that has been looking after abandoned cats and dogs for almost 20 years has made a desperate appeal for help.PAD insists it will be forced to close in a couple of months unless it gets some ur-gent donations soon.The Mijas centre, which currently cares for around 60 dogs and 250 cats, is facing ex-treme financial hardship.The charity’s source of income is entirely based on donations and although the shel-

ANIMAL SHELTER AT RISK OF CLOSUREter has started displaying notices informing people that no more animals can be accept-ed the staff find dogs and cats dumped on their doorstep daily.President Lisa Emeny explained, “PAD cur-rently has enough funds to survive the next two months and after that, if we don’t find a way to get some money in, I don’t know what we will do.”

To help call 658 351 642 or email info@pad-catsanddogs.org

A POPULAR star of Spanish bull runs has died at the age of 12.Raton, who mauled three people during his bull fighting career, passed away in Sueca, near Valen-cia. Known as 'Mouse' in English, the fierce bull attracted fees of up to €18,000 to appear at town festivals

and fights.The black and white bull reportedly weighed 550kg when he died ear-lier this month. Owner Gregorio de Jesus now plans to stuff the beast and put him on display at the ranch. Some 3,000 people turned out for his final run before he retired in Sep-tember 2011.

Adios RatonSpain's celebrated bull ‘Raton’ - who claimed the lives of three - has died at the age of 12

INTO ACTION: Raton at an event

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WETTEST MARCH FOR 60 YEARS

12 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 12 GREEN NEWS

Save our beach!Locals slam decision to develop 'unspoilt' El Cristo beach

EXCLUSIVE By Mason Jones

LOCALS in Estepona have spoken out over plans to develop one of the area's last undeveloped beaches.It comes after the town hall gave permission to build a beach club and restaurant above scenic El Cristo beach.Critics have joined former mayor David Valadez to blast the decision, which would see a 1,250 square metre development “block on the beach”.There will also be a plaza constructed, which is set to cover a further 1,000 square metres.While councillor Susana Arahuetes insisted the development would not affect views around the beach, local expat Steve Myhill disagrees.“To say this won’t affect views of the beach is disin-genuous.

Protests“It may not if you are driv-ing past, but if you are on the beach it certainly will,” he insisted.“It will inevitably concrete over an existing natural area enjoyed by many people. “I wonder if it is a done deal or there will be pro-tests?Local Havana Beach chiringuito owner Adela Ramirez also slammed the decision.“It's totally unnecessary... people come here precise-ly because it’s natural and unspoilt,” she told the Ol-ive Press.“No one has even told us anything or showed us any plans, the first I’d heard of it was on the news.“There is a lot of wildlife in the area, such as rabbits and birds, and I fear they will leave.”

A GROUP of 50 people, including many expats, walked through the orange groves of the Lecrin Valley for Grana-da-based hospice Acompalia.The walk in unscheduled sunshine raised €315 for the or-ganisation which provides palliative care for terminally ill patients of all ages.“The weather was kind to us and so were the local grow-ers,” said Tina Emmott, president of Acompalia, which is raising funds to set up a helpline staffed by professional counsellors and nurses.To donate or suggest fundraising ideas call 958 784 055

Sunny delight for walkers

13www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

News IN BRIEF

13GREEN NEWS

ANY ideas what to call this re-cently arrived giraffe?Selwo Adventure Park, in Estepona, needs Olive Press readers to help come up with something appropriate.The youngster, pictured here with his mum Carmina, is already over two metres tall and weighs over 40 kilos. To suggest a name for the giraffe tweet it to @selwo_aventura with the hashtag #nombreji-rafa or email the Olive Press.

KEEN adventurers who want to raise funds for a worthwhile cause are being invited on a charity trek.Gibraltar-based charity, the Rif Community Founda-tion ( Rifcom) is organising two treks, one in May and another in October, to raise money for the poor Mo-roccan region.The treks, which cost €415 per person, aim to raise awareness of the Rif Mountains, its people and its culture.In October a trek will head up North Africa’s high-est mountain Jbel Toubkal and requires those taking part to raise €1,000 in sponsorship.Robert Dyke, who took part in the trek last October, said: “I gained so much from my experience includ-ing friendship and fresh insight.“It's easy to be busy with first world problems but once you go to Morocco and see the struggles peo-ple face every day, it gives you fresh perspective and reminds you how lucky you are.”For more information on Rifcom and their 2013 treks, visit: www.rifcom.org or email: info@rifcom.org.

RIF AID

Stick your neck out

Safety measures MIJAS town hall has held a meeting with officials from the Environment Department, the Infoca wildfire unit and forestry experts to draw up plans to avoid summer fires.

Cocaine nightsGuardia Civil have arrested two people and seized 590 kilos of cocaine found on a yacht moored in Sotogrande port.

Strike offMalaga taxi drivers have cancelled the planned strike of the airport to be held in protest of non-local drivers being permitted to pick up airport travellers.

14 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 14 NEWS

It comes as Sevilla Judge Mercedes Alaya jailed a fur-ther four people over the scandal. A total of 80 offi-cials are now being consid-ered as suspects.In a mammoth 24-hour hearing she jailed the boss-es of private consultancy firm Vitalia, a Eurobank subsidiary hired to manage the fund as well as an inter-mediary Juan Lanzas who is accused of syphoning off 1.8m for himself. It emerged he had managed to buy up to 20 properties over the last few years due to the proceeds.

From Page 1

THE Spanish public is now twice as concerned about corruption as it was three months ago.It has been recognised as Spain’s second biggest prob-

THERE were only two arrests at this year's infa-mous Dragon Festival in Granada.The festival, which has been dogged with contro-versy for a decade, took place in its new home of Santa Fe with very little incident.Police estimated that around 300 vehicles and 1000 people attended the festival, which marks the beginning of spring and traditional took place in the Alpujarras. Always a highlight among the hippy community, there had been concerns about safety and noise lev-els and so this year the authorities had promised to be particularly strict.In the end, police only made two arrests, one for a traffic infringement and another for drug dealing. "We know that we sometimes bother the nearby residents, but we don't mean to bother them" said one festival goer.

ERE Scandal

Nearly half of Spain believes corruption is country's main problem

lem according to a national opinion poll.Results from the most re-cent CIS survey reveal that 40% of Spaniards now be-lieve corruption and fraud is second only to unemploy-ment.The poll was taken just a week after El Pais published the alleged ledgers of for-mer PP party treasurer Luis Barcenas, who was found to have an offshore account in Switzerland worth millions of euros.The number of people con-cerned about corruption has more than doubled from the 17.7% in January.The perception of corrup-tion has been on the rise since 1994’s ‘Fadesa case’. Other cases include the Gur-tel investigation, new allega-tions against the king’s son-in-law and alleged acts of espionage in Cataluna.Unemployment, which has now topped over five million people, remained the first concern for 79.9%.

Crooked concerns

Year of the Dragon

REVELLERS: Festival goershead to the site in Granada

15www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

16 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 GIBRALTAR NEWS

THE Supreme Court has or-dered for three men accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Gibraltar to be released due to lack of evidence.Russian nationals Eldar Magomedov and Mohamed Ankari Adamov were ar-rested last August along with Cengiz Yalcin, from Turkey, after an anti-terror-ism probe was launched in Spain.Police arrested Yalcin, a site manager in Gibraltar, at his home in Las Palomeras, San Roque, after following a trail of suspicious behaviour.Yalcin, a paragliding enthu-siast, had allegedly asked

THE Gibraltar Bus Company has an-nounced that bus fares will go up by 50% from May 1.A one way adult fare will cost €1.78, while a one way adult day pass will be around €2.67.

AN oil and gas drilling company has been fined €150,000 for an illegal fuel leak in Algeciras Bay.The Jasper Explorer, a mo-bile offshore drilling unit, was found to be responsible for a significant diesel spill-age.Port inspectors matched oil stains in the water with samples taken from the ship.

Bus fare hike

Fined for oil leak

By Mason Jones

‘Terror trio’ releasedParagliding terrorists to be released despite possession of explosives

his instructor about taking photographs of Gibraltar shop-ping centre from the air.The trio were also spotted flying a motor-powered para-glider over Gi-braltar, hinting they may have been planning an airborne attack.Police also reportedly found a video of Yalcin flying a remote-controlled aircraft dropping packages from the sky. The two Russian sus-

pects were detained at a rest area in Valdapenas while on their way to France.They later found enough ex-plosive material to 'destroy a bus', according to Spain’s interior minister Jorge Fer-

RELEASED: Magomedow, Ankari and Yalcin

16

nandez Diaz at the time.A court spokesman said that although the men are still suspected of being part of a terrorist organisation, there is insufficient evidence to hold them any longer.

17www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

THE OLIVE PRESS IS NOW DIS-TRIBUTING 4,000 COP-IES ON THE ROCK

Here are the main places stocking the Ol-ive Press in Gi-braltar:

• Café Fresco • O’Reileys • Ibex Insurance • Morrisons • Elliot Hotel • Sacarellos • ICC Shopping Centre • Cafe Solo • Café Rojo • Colourworks • Rolex • Caleta Hotel • Ibex Insurance • Eroski city (Waitrose) • Gala Casion • King’s Bastion

A FULL day of activities and events for children and adults will be taking place in Gibraltar to mark May Day.The day is being organised by the Gibraltar Trades Council and will include live performances and chil-dren’s games.Celebrations will take place in Casemates Square on May 1.

May Day fun

A NEW route from Gi-braltar to Birming-ham Airport has been launched by Monarch airlines.The flights to and from Gibraltar will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the end of April and then Tues-day, Thursday and Sun-day from then on. Monarch Airlines’ man-aging director, Kevin George, said: “Gibraltar has always been a popu-lar route for Monarch Airlines’ passengers and it’s great now that we can offer this ser-vice from the West Mid-lands.”

DIRECT TO THE MIDLANDS

Gibraltar apes to be monitored around the clock by National Geographic 'monkewwy cams'

Hey hey we’re the monkeys!

By Frances Leate

age, and how much time they spend in different areas.The project is being spon-sored by leading American magazine National Geo-graphic.The Minister for the Envi-ronment, Dr John Cortes,

said: “The information they will gather is vital, and we are using top of the range monitoring equipment. “This work will help us un-derstand the Macaques bet-ter, which will in turn help us to reduce the nuisance

factor.“Once we have done this, we can start enjoying and being proud of them once again.”A public talk is being held to coincide with the project at 7pm on April 3 at the O'Callaghan Eliott Hotel.

FROM what they eat, to where they go and where they sleep... the troublesome Macaques in Gibraltar are going to be monitored 24/7 by National Geographic.Government officials and animal experts are hoping to keep up with the apes every move in the hope of learning more about them.As part of the project, led by leading scientists from America and Europe, three Barbary Macaques will have High Definition (HD) cam-eras attached to them.In addition, GPS tracking collars will be attached to another six apes.This will allow remote track-ing of their movements for several months, which will be downloaded onto a com-puter programme, revealing the routes they use, where they sleep, where they for-

GIBRALTAR NEWS

18 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 AXARQUIA NEWS

By Rebecca Maguire

Axq IN BRIEF

A VELEZ-Malaga wom-an has been arrested over a rather extreme method of avoiding traf-fic fines.The woman had re-ported her car stolen in order to avoid paying a number of traffic fines.She had in fact sold the car to a local car dealer, who could prove he had legally bought the vehi-cle from her.

AXARQUIA revellers have a fantastic new night bus service.The new M-168 service – called the 'Búho' bus (or 'owl bus') - will run on Fri-days, Saturdays and holiday evenings. The service will operate from Malaga to Rincón de la Victoria from 00.30 un-til 03.00am with the last

Local forecast Velez Malaga is to have a weather station installed to monitor earthquakes, air pollution, wind speed and rainfall in the area.

Poker facedPOLICE have busted two gangs in Torre del Mar and Velez-Malaga as part of a crack-down on illegal gambling in bars.

A HISTORIC venta in the heart of the Axarquia is looking for private investors for an exciting new proj-ect.300-year-old Cortijo Veleta, near Riogordo, is hoping to become a new focus for rural tourism and already has planning permission for seven apartments and a campsite for 23 caravans or motor homes.Antonio Vida Pérez and his wife Antonia, along with son Jesús, are looking for an investment of €400,000.

Ready for Renovation

Car Trouble

BUHO BUSA new night bus has been launched for Axarquia night owlsreturn service leaving at 03.45. The service will run as far Cotomar, and there are

plans to extend the line as far as Los Rubios in 2014. The fare from Málaga will cost €3,50 or €2,50 if us-ing a Málaga Metropolitan Transport Card. Transport delegate Marta Márin commented: “We needed to introduce a new night route to cater for the demands of our citizens, as well as to increase their lei-sure opportunities”

19www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201215

20 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

Dear Olive Press,I was pleased to see your article in this weeks Olive Press about the Santa Marta hotel. We reside in El Para-iso, almost opposite the de-velopment, which is an eye-sore. Everyone around this area, is absolutely appalled that such a development should have been allowed. Particularly when, as your article points out, so many hotels are ei-ther not open or in financial difficulty.Why oh why are we building such a large hotel? Of course change has to oc-cur and the Santa Marta was in need of some upgrading, but this new hotel is just an-other blot on the landscape, with no hope of survival. Today is all about being eco-friendly and encouraging ru-ral tourism.What planet are these devel-opers from? I hope your paper will con-tinue to pursue this devel-opment and assist the local community to get a success-ful outcome. The previous hotel was charming, very low rise, with tranquil gardens and a water feature leading to a pool just off the beach, a real joy to visit, with an excellent beach

bar and restaurant. This has just been destroyed, all we have now is a seven storey monster to look at, which when it is finished will probably remain empty.

Pauline Wells, Estepona

NEFARIOUS PRACTICESDear OP,Thank you for the cover sto-ry last issue, ‘Make it stop’!Nothing surprises me about the development. Mayors and other leaders of one kind or another have been charged with corruption but does anyone seriously be-lieve that this will put a stop to it?Given the attractiveness of the climate, there could very well be another construction boom here in Spain and be-cause the old nefarious prac-tices are unlikely to stop, we’ll be into another boom and bust era.It might be interesting and instructive if the Olive Press asked readers their sto-ries of the recent boom and bust in construction: how a consortium pulled out of its responsibilities after just one year by breaking up be-cause of ‘disagreements’; how houses were given the all-clear by town halls with-out the proper licenses; how flats were given over to the new owners with mould on the walls; and on and on.Then, at least, the problems would be out in the open for all to see.

Michael ParsleySpain

LIGHT THE WAYDear OP,The Junta and Spain in gen-eral are trying to build their economy more on tourism. This is certainly a good idea but the conditions and facili-

ties must be appropriate.We are living in a medium-sized holiday center – Costa Natura – and next to us situ-ated is the 5-star hotel Elba. Both resorts together are certainly good for quite a lot of money. However, since we moved in here last September there was nearly no week without a blackout of electricity. Usually, these blackouts are short – sometimes just some seconds but sometimes half an hour. Short interruptions are al-ready enough to interrupt

computers and telephone talks – imagine that clients are trying to contact a resort from outside and suddenly electricity has gone?Or the 5-star guests are sit-ting in their hotel room and are watching television or are trying to make a tele-phone call! The instability of the elec-tricity network is neither a recommendation nor an acceptable situation in a re-gion where so many people depend on tourism.

Christian HörigCosta Natura

DAYLIGHT ROBBERYDear OP,Having found a buyer for our property recently, our law-yer of many years, advised me with a very straight face that the plus valia would be €40,000. I protested loudly but no, that was correct he reas-sured me, several times.We considered this to be excessive, and after a little jaunt to the ayuntamiento, found that it was in fact half that amount.Needless to say we are no longer clients of his!It is high time that lawyers stopped this disgraceful practice of what is in fact, bleeding expats dry.We have always paid our dues and are tax payers here in Spain but resent these le-

galized robberies.

Jean Leftwick Alhaurin de la Torre

PHONE LOCK-DOWNDear OP,As a regular tourist, com-ing to Fuengirola for over 10 years I’ve experienced no problems whatsoever with petty crimes, at least until this weekend! I had stolen my (code-locked) Smartphone.Of course I took all the steps necessary to block accounts, passwords etc.However I was a bit shocked on hearing from the manag-er of my internet shop that this allegedly happens quite often, only for the people who seal them to take them to the Apple shop in Mala-ga and get them unlocked there!He is then regularly offered these phones at discount prices.It seems that the Apple shop in Malaga has special soft-ware to break code-locked phones.I have tried contacting Apple Spain and of course the local police, but with low expecta-tions.I would like to get the mes-sage out there in order to put pressure on local franchises to clear up their act?S. BakerUK

BANGED TO WRITES!Dear OP,I feel compelled to point out some errors, all on the front page of your last issue. The first was the headline, ‘Make it stop’. Do you mean stop it, or perhaps, get it stopped? The second was ‘the macro-project that dwarfs over the previous hotel’. I’m not sure whether macroproject is one word or even hyphenated, it could be 2 words. However, I am certain the macro proj-ect does not dwarf over the previous hotel. Did you mean the hotel is dwarfed by it? Then this caption by the larger pic is badly written and there’s a grammatical error: ‘A homeowners view is dominated while (right) building on the beach’.I hope you don’t mind me pointing out these errors but as a freelance journalist my-self I felt moved to do so as they spoil an otherwise ex-cellent publication. RegardsBeverley Saunders

Hi Beverley-Are you looking for a job as a proof reader?

SPIDER ALERT!

Dear OP, I found this fellow hanging around in my bedroom and wondered if he was dangerous? Can any of your read-ers help? Pete Jukes, San Pedro

CROSSMOT 5

STOP THE ROT

Letters should be posted to Urb. Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350, Malaga or emailed to letters@theolivepress.es The writer’s name and address should be provided. Published opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

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Across1 Settee (4) * 3 Helado (8) * 9 Realizar (7) * 10 Criadas (5) * 11 Disturbing (12) * 13 Touched (6) * 15 Giraffe (6) * 17 Que Representan (12) * 20 Matorral (5) * 21 Inútil (7) * 22 X-Ray (2, 5, 1) * 23 East (4).Down1 Apoya (8) * 2 Granjas (5) * 4 Común (6) * 5 Fighters (12) * 6 Existed (7) * 7 Mástil (4) * 8 Considerablemente (12) * 12 Ranges (6, 2) * 14 Más Clara (7) * 16 Problemas (6) * 18 Artículos (5) * 19 Utilizado (4).L = 198

21www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201231la cultura 21

A SPANISH theatre has come up with a clever ruse to get around the crippling 'culture tax'.Bosses of the theatre in Bes-cano, Catalunya are selling punters carrots instead of tickets in a bid to woo them back.Because the vegetable is a staple food product, it can only be taxed 4% rather than the 21% IVA now levied on tickets."The theatre world is in a very bad shape, and this IVA tax rise will basically kill off small theatres like ours if we don't act," said Quim Marce

Carrot and stick approachOne theatre has come up with an ingenious way to get around the crippling IVA rise that is hammering the arts - sell carrots, not tickets

By Mason Jones

(pictured above), who is sell-ing carrots for €13."Other theatres will have to follow our example and find ways around this unsustain-able tax rise," he added. The news comes after a re-cent report found that au-dience numbers had fallen by a third since the IVA rise from 8% to 21% last year.In the four months following the tax increase in Septem-ber on cultural events, the-atres nationwide reported a total loss of around 1.8 mil-

lion clients.With rocketing ticket prices, theatres have suffered a 33% drop in takings and a loss of over 600 jobs.Industry officials have branded the increase ‘tragic and devastating’, calling for the government to repeal the new IVA rate."With the increase in IVA, the government ignored the crisis already hitting the sec-tor and aggravated it to un-sustainable extremes,” said Daniel Martinez, President of the Federation of Theatre and Dance Companies As-sociations (FAETEDA).

Out of plastic

THE tarpaulins are finally to be removed from Marbella's stunning Rio Verde Roman villa.After three years of restora-tion, the archaeological site, between Marbella and Puer-to Banus is to be unveiled to the public.The 380,000 euro project has seen the introduction of a new viewing platform.The villa’s stunning mosaics date from around 99 AD and feature an eclectic collection of everyday items, including shoes and kitchen utensils. "This renovation means

what’s on

Coin, April 11 at La Trocha shopping

centre. An afternoon dance with live music and a charity raffle. For more information call 610972536. Free entry.

Fuengirola, April 6 at the Salon

Varietes Theatre. A musical tribute to Michael Buble, Tom Jones, Robbie Williams and Elvis Presley by classically trained vocalist Ricky Lavazza. For more information call 952 474 542.

Malaga, now until June 16 at CAC

Malaga. At home I’m a tourist, an exhibition displaying some of Selim Varol’s toy collection which is the biggest in the world with over 15,000 objects. Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. Free entry.

Marbella is finally recovering its heritage," insisted mayor, Angeles Munoz.The villa, whose name comes from the nearby river, was originally excavated in 1962.Archaeologists believe it origi-nally belonged to an affluent Roman family that lived off the popular trade of fish salting.

22 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

A COUPLE of months later when Gonzalez sent for Blake and told him there was a problem, Blake knew it was something he had been wait-ing for. They had trouble. An assortment of migrant work-ers and a ‘hippy traveller’ had occupied one of the new invernaderos and made a set of demands. ‘The leader is Inglesi,’ Gonza-lez said. ‘It is best you go and talk to him. Make him realise the foolishness of his ways.’‘Does Juan know about this?’

In the second part of our serialisation of James Goodwin's book Bad Seed, fugitive Mark Blake comes face to face with a 'hippy traveller'BRIEF CATCH UP: On the run from a killing and embezzle-ment in the UK, Mark Blake flees to Spain. From the back streets of Almeria he bankrolls a partnership with ruth-less peasant Pedro Gonzalez. Armed with Blake’s money Gonzalez begins building a powerful agricultural consor-tium based around plastic greenhouses.

Blake said.‘It is best that you and I deal with this, Marco.’‘Why is that?’‘Juan would want to send for the police. You think that is a good idea?’‘No,’ Blake said. ‘We will deal with this without the police.’‘I agree,’ Gonzalez said. ‘No police. We must be firm, Mar-co. If the Mahgrebi see we are weak, he will take advantage. There is only one language such people understand.’ ‘Let’s talk first. See what they

want,’ Blake said.There were twenty-sev-en of them, twenty-six migrant workers and a young Englishman called John Gleeson. Gonza-lez explained to the mi-grant workers what they

were prepared to do. They shrugged their shoulders and looked towards Gleeson. Blake started taking pictures. Within minutes the migrants began to take fright. They agreed to Gonzalez’s terms and said they would be back to apply for jobs. They did not want their pictures taken. Blake understood only too well why that might be. But John Gleeson was not in-timidated by such action. He strode across to Blake and asked, what he thought he was doing. He tried to take the camera. Blake pushed him hard in the chest. He reeled back, stumbled and fell. He got to his knees. The remainder of the migrants

ran. Gon-zalez and B l a k e w a t c h e d G l e e -son pick h i m s e l f up from the hard-p a c k e d dirt floor. ‘You’re Capitalist Bastards, you know that. You treat people like shit and think you can get away with it. Well not this time. This time you’re going to get more fucking trouble than you bar-gained for,’ he said.‘Just leave,’ Blake said. ‘There’ll be no more trouble.’‘You’re English,’ he said and stared at Blake. ‘I know you.’‘I don’t think so,’ Blake said. Gleeson continued to stare. ‘Yes, I do. I know you. I can’t remember just where, but I’ve seen you. On the telly or in the newspapers, I’ve seen you. I reckon you probably look different but I still rec-ognise you. What is it?’ He stood for a moment, look-ing, thinking. ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got it. I come from Moseley, in Birmingham, just like you. I know who you are.’For a moment the two men stared at each other. Then Blake hit him hard in the so-lar plexus. Gleeson gasped and doubled up. Blake hit him again on the side of the neck. He fell to the ground. Blake looked to Gonzalez as if asking what he should do. ‘You must finish it, Marco. You have no other choice.’ Blake wondered how the old man knew. Without thinking he took the command and dropped with both knees onto Gleeson’s chest. He put his thumbs into his throat. Glee-son’s eyes stared in terror, his tongue started from his mouth, struggling, searching for air. He raised his hands, thrashed around, his hands pulling feebly at Blake’s wrists. Then Blake stopped. He released his grip and pushed himself up, looked down at the gasping figure. The bucking subsided and he became still. For a moment Blake thought he had simply passed out, had feinted in fright. But as the figure lay in the dust, realization dawned and a sense of horror at what he had done. ‘I have a place where he will never be found,’ Blake turned. Gonzalez said, ‘Be-lieve me, Marco, he will dis-appear forever.’Gonzalez drove them high into the mountains. The track was uneven and they bounced

over rocks and potholes, the body banged against the steel sides behind them. It took nearly an hour before Gonzalez stopped the car. ‘Over here,’ Gonzalez said. ‘Follow me.’ Blake put the body across his shoulder and followed the old man along an animal track. They climbed a slight incline and passed through a narrow cleft in the rocks. Blake sweated under the weight pressing down on him. There was a quar-ter moon and bright stars shone down from a deep sky. In the cleft he could not see

and stumbled. ‘Careful here, Marco. Is very steep.’ The old man took his arm and led him through the narrow passage. ‘Down there, Marco. Down there it will never be found. It was too dark for Blake to see what was below them but he heaved the body in the direc-tion of Gonzalez’s pointed fin-ger. He heard dull thuds and a swishing of undergrowth. A few rocks were disturbed and he could hear them fall-

ing far below. Then there was silence.

A week later. Gonzalez sent for him again. ‘There is some-one I want you to meet,’ he said. ‘This is Ramos Martinez, my new foreman. The busi-ness has grown and a new man is needed to help with all the work. Martinez, this is Senor Blake. Blake shook his hand. ‘Hello, Senor Blake, I’m very pleased to meet you,’ he said in English.‘Hello,’ Blake said. ‘You speak English very well.‘A little. I learn at school and

then go to language school in England for one year. I like England. I live in Bir-mingham for a while and then London. Senor Gonza-lez tells me you come from London. You know Birming-ham, maybe?’‘I don’t, no.’‘Is nice place. I think we speak in Spanish now so that Senor Gonzalez can understand.’ He nodded to Gonzalez.

‘Thank you very much, Marti-nez. That will be all, now. You can go and see to your work.’ Martinez nodded, and turning to Blake he said, ‘Very nice to meet you, Mr Blake. I will see you again very soon,’ and he turned and walked from the room.‘Martinez is a very valuable employee,’ Gonzalez said. ‘He knows many things. Come, I have something to show you.’ He took Blake to a

“He handed the gun to Blake. This is a

very nice pistol, you agree? Blake took

the gun and weighed it in his hand."

la culturaKill the hippy!

23www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

wall cupboard and unlocked it. Inside was a collection of guns. He took out a pistol. ‘I like you, Senor Blake. I think we have much in common, you and I. When I was young like you, I was much feared. I think many men might fear you too, Marco, if they knew the kind of man you are, if they knew what you are ca-pable of.’ He handed the gun to Blake. ‘This is a very nice pistol, you agree?’ Blake took the gun and weighed it in his

hand.‘If you say so. It’s not some-thing I know much about.’ The old man laughed, took the pistol and put it back into the cupboard.‘I think we have much to offer each other. There are many favours I can do for you, and a few favours I may ask in re-turn. Little things. Things that a man with your talents could carry out easily I think. You are becoming a very rich man from your investments on my

land, eh, Marco? Let us have a drink. A drink to the future where I will help you, and you will sometime help me.’ He poured two glasses of wine. ‘Rioja,’ he said. ‘Only the very best for my compadre. To the future, eh, Marco?’ Blake took the glass. ‘The fu-ture,’ he said.

Don't miss the next installment in our next issue

la cultura

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The Olive Press NOW has 33,000 papers delivered across EIGHT provinces of Andalucia and Gibraltar every fortnight by our hard-working team of distributors

ALAMEDAMobile Home Park • Posada Tempranillo • Petrol Station • Casa Benito

ALCALAConexions Centre • Hotel Torrepalma • Library • Tourist Office • Optico Real • Hotel Zacatin • Estate Agent Andaluz • BP English Food Shop (opposite Mercadona)

ALGATOCINBP Service Station

ALHAURIN el GrandeGuzman Garden Centre • BP Service Station • Alhaurin Golf • La Boma • 1st Tabacconist • Annas Butchers • Christinas Paper Shop • Arte Hair and Beauty • Martins Paper Shop • 2nd Tabacconist • British Supermarket • Posh Pets • Cudeca • BP Service Station • AID Dog Home • Las Brisas Restaurant • Montemar Restaurant • Lauro Golf

ALHAURIN de la TorreBP • Las Brisas Restaurante • Montemar Restaurante • Lauro Golf

ALMUNECARSpar Supermercado • Tourist Office • El Faro Bar • Olivares Shop • Danny s Bar • Bahia Tropical Hotel

ALORAHardware Store • Tropicana • Repsol Petrol • Cudeca • Zalea Bar

ALOZAINAPetrol Station •Dia

ANTAS INDUSTRIAL ESTATEThe Full Swing • El Poligono • Costa Cars • Cepsa

ANTEQUERALidl • La Veronica • Amapola • Antequera Golf • Tourist Office • Hotel Plaza San Sebastian • BP • Hotel Las Villas de Antikaria

ARCHIDONACepsa Garage • 3R Café /Bar • Mercadona Garage • Sunset Estates

ARDALESPaco’s Bar

ARRIATEPetrol Station

ATAJATEAndalazar

BEDAR (El Pinar)Urb. Offices

BENADALIDLos Labros

BENAHAVISCanela Cafe /Bar • Amanhavis

BENALAURIALa Molienda

BENALMADENAHalfpenny Bridge Pub • Kiosko Puerto (Marina) • Tourist Office (main road) • Culture Centre Bil Bil • Paloma Library • Irish Time Bar • Xanit Hospital • UK Foods • Discovery • Rubens xchange • Sunset Beach • Supersave • Miura Bar • Benalmadena Bowls Club • Bar IbenseFedex/ Post Office • Cudeca • Anns Bookshop • Riu Puerto Marina • Riviera Hotel • Potters Lodge • Kwik Save • Dolce Vita • Crystals • Bil Bil Golf • Dalziel Bar • Bar None • Star Bar • Wellness Centre & Gym • Aguila • Los Brothers • Martins Hair & Beauty • Jupiter • Torrequebrada Golf • Sensara

BENALMADENA COSTAWins Bar • Los Mimosas Golf Bar • Divas • Bull Bar

BENAOJANMeroil • Papeleria Ruiz

BENAVISTABowls Club • Ibex Insurance • Grumbles • Experience Group • English Butcher • Costa Less Supermarket • Plaza Hotel • Dog House • Brubecks • El Paraiso Golf •Peggoty’s Fish & Chips • Petrol Station • Kids Kingdom • Agro Jardin • Calpe School • Laude International

BENAMACARRAHotel Cortijo Bravo

BONANZA SQUAREAnne’s Book Shop • Kwik Save • Dec’s Irish Bar

BUBIONSupermercado Coviran

CABOPINOPina Pinaka • Cabo Pizza • Sportsmans Bar • Cabopino Camping • Garage •Shebeens Pub • Paper Shop/Supermarket • Plaza Bar • Alberts Restaurant

CABRATourist Office

CALAHONDAAParty Party • The Pit Shop • GT Mc Kenna Butchers • Mercadona • RBL • Club Naranja • Prensa Piscis

CALYPSOMPA Estates (Bryce) • Inspirations Haidressers

CAMPILLOSFernando s Coffee Bar • BP Petrol StationWildmann-Chard Health & Beauty Centre

CAPILEIRESupermercado Coviran • Cafe Moraima

CARTAMA ESTACIONAguamania • Topres

CASABERMEJAPetrol Station

CASARESArroyo Honda • The Forge • Venta Garcia • Villas and Fincas • La Tienda •Mi Cortijo • Venta Victoria

CHICLANATourist Office

COIN ROADThe Warehouse Outlet • RMDC Glass • Favel • Tamisa Golf • St Anthonys College • Speedys Garage • Camping Fuengirola • BP Garage

COLMENARCO2 • Bar Campesino •Belen Hotel

COMPETATodo Papel • Pavo Real and Restaurant • Sugar and Spice

CORTESCamping el Salitre • Mary Becker • La Fuente

CORDOBABodegas Campos • Hotel Casas de la Juderia • La Fuente

CORTES DE LA FRONTERAPetrol Station •La FuenteCUEVAS DE ALMANZORA (Desert Spring Golf)

Restaurant / ClubhouseDIANA

Royal Nordic Club • Man Friday Supermarket • Super Market • Aud Dublin • Big BlueBox

DUQUESA PORTPaparazzi Neswagents • Supermarket • Las Galleries • English Butcher • Duquesa Golf Club • Paper Shop • Gaston Golf • Manilva Properties • Topline Paper Shop • Clubhouse Bar • La Bella Vista Camping

El CHORROEl Kiosko • Hotel Posada el Conde

EL FAROEl Faro Supermarket • Post Room • Zurich Office • Captains Bar

EL ROSARIOGerman Bakery/Cafe • Da Fabio Restaurant • Mozaic/ Els News • Marbella Golf • The Jeans Factory

EL TRAPICHEEl Trapiche Cafe/ Bar

ELVIRIAMartys Hairdressers • EIC School • Aventura • Amazonia • TFC Restaurant • Studio B • Bar Casi Casi • Regalos Isabel y Paco • Asia Foods • Playwrights • Mancomunidad

ESTEPABP Garage

ESTEPONALongmans Bookshop • Fergussons Bar • Cudeca Shop • Dune Bar • Laguna Village Paper shop • Hospiten • Albayat Resort • Best Coches • Terra Sana • Digi PrintOptica Machin • Muebles Gavira • Furniture World • Techno Aluminio • Lidls • Amapola • Tourist Centre • Estepona Golf • International Club of Estepona • Costa Natura • Laguna Village: Entrance • Tibet Clothes Shop

ESTEPONA MARINASailors Cafe • Business Centre EportBicUniversal Estate Agents • The Irish FiddlerMarlow Chip Chop

FRIGILIANAHotel Almazara

FUENGIROLAIceland Store • Scotties Butchers • Specsavers • Cudeca • Dunnes Stores • Yorkshire Linen • Euromarkets Cayetano (C/ Malaga) •

Euromarkets Cayetano (C/ San Isidro) • Euromarkets Cayetano (Av de los Lirios) • Salon Varieties• Old Gold• Marfil• Tourist Office• Fafa Foods• Prensa Iberia• Califonia 7• Cafe Fresco• Dunnes Las Rampas• Opticos Vicente• Anthonys Diamonds• Prensa Maxim • David Bookshop • Spainsburys • Woodys • Yaramar • Prensa Quijote • Joys Pies • Prensa Don Luis • Torreblanca Supermarket • Caravajal Supermarket • Red Dragon • Oasis • Torreblanca Post Office • Wessex Bar • Cheers Bar • Manila Bar • Mananas BarTonys Shanleys/ Chequers Golf • Estanco PYR

FUENTE DE PIEDRABar Rebujito • Corner Bar • Diane’s • Donkey Sanctuary

GARRUCHAClinica Veterinaria • Hostal Timar

GAUCINRepsol Petrol Station • Hotel Caballo Andaluz • Pura Vida Health Shop • Benassim Deli • Fructosa • El Convento • Casa Antonia • La Fuente • El Puente

GIBRALTARCafé Fresco • O’Reileys • Ibex Insurance • Morrisons • Elliot Hotel • Sacarellos • ICC Shopping Centre • Cafe Solo • Café Rojo • Colourworks • Rolex • Caleta Hotel • Ibex Insurance

GRANADA Airport • Hotel Macia Plaza • La Romanilla • Hotel Fontecruz Granada • Metro Bookshop • Hannigans 1 • Hannigans 2 • Tourist Office • El Catrachod • Jardines de Zoraya • La Alacena de Andalucia • Hotel Palacio de Santa

GUADALMINATricky Rickys • Bookworld

GUAROPetrol Station

HUMILLADERORestaurante Cinco Rios

IZNAJARBP • The Yoga School • Bar Verde

JEREZTourist Office

JIMENA DE LA FRONTERACepsa• Papeleria Los Garabatos • Bar Cuenca • La Tasca • Hostal Anon • Bar Oba • Estate Agents • Casa Henrietta

JIMERA DE LIBAR ESTACIONBar Allioli

LA CALACafe Boulevard • Cocinas Plus • Prensa Quetzal • BP Garage • Snack Attack

LA CALA DE MIJASCorner Café • Lions Charity Shop • Pensioners Bar • Internet Café • Papeleria Quetzal • Captains Bar • Zurich Office • BP Garage

LA CALETAPapeleria las Colonias

LA COLONIAEuromarkets Cayetano (C/Lagasca) • KSM Properties

LA HERRADURAThe Hideaway Bar • Libreria Coral • La Tartana Hotel • Restaurante S. Nico

LA HEREDIAThe Best of Holland • The Dutch Butcher • Panaderia • La Casita • K Bar

LA VINUELAHotel Vinuela • A & N Gas Petrol Station • Bar Atilla

LANJARONCafe Bar Health • Tourist Information • Los Llanos

LAS BUGANVILLASCactus

LECRIN VALLEYE.S Leman Gasolina

LOJACafe Continental

LOS GALLARDOSSubministros Ridao • Gas station • Camping los Gallardos

LOS ROMANESCamping Bar

LUCENACarrefour Pet Shop • Hotel Bronces • B.P near the fire stn.

MALAGA CITYBritish Consulate• Dunkin Coffee (Corte Ingles)• Hotel Tribuna • Pizzeria el Laboratorio • Restaurante Vino Mio • Terra Sana & Gorki restaurants (El Muelle Uno Shopping Centre) • Calle Brusseles • Celtic Irish Bar • Café con Libro • Picasso Museum • Robert Boyd • Plaza Restaurant • Hotel Don Curro • Hotel Molino Larios • Tourist Office • Hotel Vinci •Escuela de Turismo

MALAGA AIRPORTHelle Hollis • Car Parking Malaga • Arrivals Information Desk • Monarch

MANILVAManilva Solicitors • English Bookshop • Manilva Properties

MARBELLABP Garage -Marbella Arch • Hotel Fuerte • Swans International School • Vergola • Puente Romano Hotel • MC Cafe Marbella Club Hotel• Polo House • Cocinas Plus • Panorama • International School

MIJAS PUEBLOTourist Office • Town Hall • BP Garage • Mijas Hotel

MIJAS ROADWorld of Sofas • Centro Idea Danish Centrel • Euromarket

MOJACAR PLAYA (Centro Comercial)Masko Cafe • Habana Cafe•Diego Ortega Notaria • Michael Davis Solicitors • Clinica Dental • Ibex Insurance • Pippas Cafe

MOJACAR PLAYAGas Station • Koi Cafe • Kasbah Romantic • Sal’s • Currency Exchange • Paco Salas Farmacy • El Olivo Restaurant • Total Entertainment • Tomas Supermarket • Mojacar Estates • Beachcomber Restaurant • H Puntazo Hostal• Trufibar • Kimrick Restaurant • Parador • Cafe Bellagio • K7 Real Estate • Price, Brown Partnership • Tourist Office (Playa)Tito’s • Los Arcos Bar • Los Amigos Bar • La Posada • ELC

MOJACAR PUEBLOCentro de Arte Municipal • English Library • Bar Pavana •Bar Habanero •Bar Cherigan

MOLLINABar Margarita • And Estates • Brit Shop • Lazy Days Mobile Home Park

MONDAPaper Shop • Petrol St. •Design Academy

MONTEFRIOAlan Russell

MONTE HALCONES (Ronda Road)One Stop Café • Irish Café

MONTEJAQUELas Casitas

MOTRILCafé AL Campo • Tourist OfficeLos Moriscos Golf • Bar/ Rest Moriscos • Gran Elba Hotel

NERJAHotel Carabeo • English Book Shop • Supermercado Iranzo • Smiths Bookshop • Tourist Office • John the Barber • H2O Bar • Keyhomes Estates Agents • Team Estate Agents • Olas Bar • Cocinas Nerja

NUEVA ANDALUCIAAloha News • Garden Bar • Yanks • Wilsons • Alberts • La Sala • HIFX • Mad Hatters • Terra Sana • H10 Hotel

OLVERAPetrol Station • Dynos • Olvera Properties • Via Verde • Rest. El Puerto

ORGIVAIndoor Market • Camac • Internet Café • Alpujarra Supermercado • Baraka •Limonero

PAMPANEIRA

Cafe AlfonsoPERIANA

Cantueso •VerdugaPITRES

Camping • Bar La Taha • Bar FrenazoPIZARRA

Spa • AliproxPRIEGO DE CORDOBA

Tourist Office • Kiosko MaribelCepsa Garage

PUENTE DON MANUELMoreno’s • Ian Petts Dentist • English Shop • Arkwrights

PUERTO BANUSBookworld • Iceland • Cravings Cafe • Starz Cafe • La Sala • Mad Hatters • Yanks • Asiatic Food • HIFX • Studio B • Aloha News • The Garden Bar • Terra SanaH10 Hotel • Hairworks • Currencies DirectGuey Skybar

PUERTO REY (VERA)Club Deportivo • La Esquina

RINCON DE LA VICTORIATourist Office • Hotel Rincon SolAnoreta Golf

RIO FRIOHotel Almazara

RIOGORDOCoviran

RIVIERA DEL SOLMiraflores Bowls Club • La Terraza Supermarket • La Terraza Paper Shop

ROAD BETWEEN CAMPILLOS AND RONDA

Meson Diego • Petrol Station Cuevas del Becerro • BP Garage

RONDAAlmocabar • Bar San Francisco • Tourist Office • Atrium • Chocolat • Casa Ortega • To-Toro • Traga Tapas • Hotel Maestranza • Hotel Colon • Hotel Polo • Hotel Don Miguel • Locutorio • Serrania Services • Libreria Dumas • Huskies • Heaven Irish Pub • Pedro Romero

RONDA ROADMonte Halcones One Stop Cafe • Irish Cafe

RUTEEstanco

SABINILLASEnglish Bookshop • Eden • Visage Hairdresser • Coast to Coast Properties • Bar • Lidls • Kwasi Bar • Curtain & Bedding

SALINASCasa Monolo • Meson Estacion

SALOBRENABest Western Hotel • Post Office Antonio Machado • Tourist Office Plaza Goya • 1616 Books

SAN PEDROTourist Office • Passion Café • TRE Radio Station • Staysure

SAN ROQUESan Roque Golf Suites Reception area and golf clubhouse • Okay cafe • Supermarket

SAYDO MARKETAngela Sat • Bakery • Chrissy • Hotel Reception

SIERRA DE YEGUASKiosko

SITIO DE CALAHONDAClub Naranja RBL • Plaza next to Paper Shop

SOTOGRANDE GUADIARONewsagent • Corner Café • Lemon Tree Café • Estate Agent • English Butcher Shop • Sotofiesta • Business Centre NH Hotel • Abbeygate Insurance • Mara Rest. • Anglo Wines

SOTOGRANDE MARINAVideola • 50K Bar • La Brasserie • Hairy Lemon • Hotel Maritimo • Midas

TARIFATourist Office

TOLOXCross Road Bar • Vent Garradena

TORRE DEL MARPapeleria el Faro • English Bookshop Pasatiempo • Expatriate Help Centre • Lukuma • Baviera Golf • Las Yucas • Cudeca

TORREMOLINOSTourist Offices x 2 • Cudeca Town Centre • Baileys BP Garage • Parador Golf Hotel • Parador Golf • Riu Belplaya • Shennanigans • Hotel Melia • Rubens Exchange • Nigel & Cheryls Rest. • Cosy Nook • El Mojito • Toms Tavern • Wellness Clinic • Fig & Olive • Full House • Talk of the Tyne • BP Garage

TORROXRussels English Shop • El Pino English Shop • Light of India • Tourist Office

TURREFundraiser Shop• Zambra • Casa Diego • Total Entertainment • Tio Tomas •Connexions

UBEDAGolden Poppy English Center

VEJERTourism Office • Califa • Camping Vejer • Monte Medio Golf • Barca de Vejer • Castilleria Restaurant

VELEZ MALAGAGarden Centre La Palma • Eroski Centre • Bar Jamaica • Dunnes • Pronumatico

VERAIceland • Galasaa

VILLANUEVA DE ALGAIDASLa Bodeguita

VILLANUEVA DE ROSARIOBar • Bar • Town hall

VILLANUEVA DE TAPIALa Paloma Rest.

VILLANUEVA DE TRABUCORonnies • La Plaza • La Rubia • El Rincon de Teresa • Trabuco Books

YUNQUERAPetrol Station • Bakery

ZAHARA DE LA SIERRAAl Lago

50 NEW DISTRIBUTION SPOTS IN FUENGIROLA AND BENALMADENA including Xanit hospital, Woodys, Spainsburys, Caravajal, Kwik Save and Torreblanca supermarkets AND 50 IN MARBELLA / PUERTO BANUS INCLUDING Marbella Club Hotel, BP, Bookworld, Cravings, Aloha News and Guey

TOTAL COVER

Covering the costas and ALL 8 provinces of Andalucia

Less than 1% returns and a much bigger footprint than our 3 main rivals:

A Sll about an PedroIssue 158 April 4 2013

25

& Guadalmina

Now that San Pedro finally has its underpass, Giles Brown believes it no longer suffers from a Cinderella complex

Tunnel visionSEEING THE LIGHT: The new San Pedro underpass has completely opened up the centre of San Pedro

26 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 201326 San Pedro special

IT used to be little more than a shabby town with a bus station approximately half way between Marbella

and Estepona. But the forgotten Cinderella of San Pedro Alcántara has suddenly found itself invited to the ball that its other Costa del Sol rivals have been en-joying for years.After half a decade of dis-ruption installing an under-ground car park, a new sea-front promenade and, most importantly, its now-infamous

Overlooked for years, San Pedro is now a desirable location in its own right

Upwardly mobile

85 million euro underpass, San Pedro has suddenly emerged re-born, and with a distinct new swagger.A rediscovered destination for tourists and businesses alike, the once workaday suburb of Marbella is finally coming into its own.There is a definite buzz about the place, and although it's easy enough to walk around the town in little over an hour, there is more than enough to keep the visitor entertained.But first, a little history les-

son. Compared to the towns that surround it – Marbella, Estepona and Benahavis - San Pedro really is the new kid on the block. General Manuel Guiterrez de la Concha, the first Marques de Duero, came up with an ambitious plan to convert land to the west of Marbella into agriculture in the middle of the 18th century. Aided by the Re-population Laws, the good general founded the farming colony of San Pedro Alcántara.

T h e colony took its name from the general's devotion to the patron saint of Extremad-ura San Pedro, as well as in honour of his mother Lady Pe-tra de Alcantara Irigoyen. In the years 1860 to 1870 new crop systems were put in place and thousands of hectares were drained and ploughed. New irrigation sys-tems and reservoirs were in-troduced, some of which are still in use and the settlement grew in stature.In addition to the main village the nearby smaller settle-ments of Cancelada and Cor-tes were also e s t a b l i s h e d , and workers from Valencia, Murcia, Grana-da and Almeria were recruited to help work the land. The town car-ried on in a sleepy agricul-tural kind of way until the mid-40s, when street lighting and cleaning were intro-duced and the main road was paved in the 50s. Tourism soon fol-lowed and San Pedro grew quickly, resulting in Marbella Town Hall opening a special office to deal with the paperwork and transac-

tions. This has since become something of a sore point. 'Sanpedreños', as they are known, feel decidedly inde-pendent of Marbella and have repeatedly called for their own municipality, a call that has fallen on deaf ears.A stroll around confirms that San Pedro really does seem to encapsulate what is great about living on the Costa del Sol. The newly renovated promenade is easily one of the best on the coast with statues, exercise machines

and chringuitos and swish beach clubs rubbing shoulder to shoulder. The paseo has been the scene for an art and craft and

n a t -ural living festival, concerts and even (bizarrely) a reenactment of the Nor-mandy landings. If you are feeling really ener-getic and have the time it's possible to walk all the way to Marbella along the walkway and at the very least you can get to Puerto Banus in a quar-ter of an hour. Head back into the centre itself however, and you'll find yourself walking along well kept roads between neat

urbanisat ions with cycle paths, impressive foun-tains and even a large fishing boat as a piece of public sculp-ture. At the bottom of the main road, next to the in-evitable round-about, you're standing on the roof of the San Pedro tunnel, the one piece of infrastruc-ture that has t r a n s f o r m e d the town. Tak-

ing twice as long as planned and three times over

budget it has however cre-ated a quiet, largely pedes-trianised centre and a much easier walkway down to the

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR: San Pedro re-enacts the D-Day landings, while (above) its church

27www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012San Pedro special 27

ACTIVE: San Pedro's paseo is just a 15-minute walk to Puerto Banus, while (top) some exclusive homesbeach.Although this area is currently a muddy impromptu car park, the authorities have plans to put in green areas with parks protected from the elements by giant sails. When complet-ed it will be a fabulous area to enjoy the sunshine, and several restaurants with large terraces have already opened in anticipation.One of these is the popular Rincon de la Sala, which was opened by owner Ian Radford with the help of some of his professional footballer friends, in-cluding David Bent-ley and Stephen Carr.As businessman Radford, one of Mar-bella's main employ-ees explains: “The town has such a distinct feel to it. It's so different to Mar-bella, a proper Span-ish town with all the local amenities and a great beach to boot.”Local events organ-iser Lara Gonzalez agrees. "We are getting increasing numbers of people coming through and there is a real buzz about the town."There are certainly plenty of shops heading up the main street, Calle Marqués del Duero, which is partially pedestri-anised and leads up to the main square and church. It bustles with restaurants, bars, cafes and ice cream palours and really underlines

the surprisingly international nature of the town. There are Irish pubs, Asian restaurants, Cuban Mojito dens, Dutch bars and even a great value Filipino restaurant complete with game shows direct from Manila blaring out from the giant flatscreen all next to authentic tapas bars and Spanish restaurants. Best of all, the town has

thankfully avoided the hordes of TOWIE wannabies and Stag and Hen parties that plague nearby Puerto Banus and therefore has a more relaxed and family friendly feel.

There is even a Moroccan barbers, where this unkempt reporter had a trim and a shave courtesy of the ex-tremely hospitable Jamal!The main square is dominat-ed by the church, where Tony and Cherie Blair were spotted at mass a few years ago. Have a coffee up here on a sunny Sunday afternoon and you'll realise why it's nicknamed

'Plaza de las Ameri-cas', with central and south Ameri-can workers enjoy-ing the afternoon off. A bandstand in the plaza is an oc-casional venue for open air concerts, with the El Ingenio Cultural Centre on the western side of town also putting on all kinds of per-formances includ-ing flamenco, funk to comedy and seri-ous drama.If you fancy being a little more en-ergetic with your spare time then there are plenty of sporting options. Golfers have the nearby Guadalmina Alta and Guadalmi-na Baja courses to choose from, and there is also a municipal driving range. If you want to go water skiing, but haven't got your own speedboat,

then head to the cable ski next door, it's the only one for 100 miles. The Nueva Alcan-tara Club has excellent tennis and padel facilities and San Pedro once also boasted its

own baseball team, the Sun Devils. But if you'd rather just cheer on the local team, UD San Pe-dro plays in the same division

BUZZ: Lara Gonzalez at Eventoshop

as both Estepona and Mar-bella, which makes for some tasty local derbies.There are all the usual shops and services that you would expect in a town this size (approximately 26,000 in-habitants) and the town is also nowadays a petrolhead's paradise. It's home to sev-eral supercar garages selling dream machines such as the top-of-the line McLaren, Fer-rari, Bentley, Pagani and Mer-cedes, while if your thrills are more on two wheels you can even get your chopper cus-tom designed and built.Of course, the catalyst for the return of the feel good factor in San Pedro was the open-ing of the underground tun-nel. Previously the area was a notorious traffic black spot producing huge delays. The tunnel and its supporting net-work of roads into the town and also up to Ronda has had a huge impact, a fact that

was underlined at the official opening last year. Marbella mayor, Ángeles Mu-ñoz, was joined by the Minis-ter of Development, Ana Pas-tor and stressed that it was a 'big day' not only for Marbella, 'but for the entire Costa del Sol' adding that the infra-structure would aid 'tourism development'.As Irish restaurateur Malcolm Spendlove, the owner of Pas-sion Cafe and the recently opened Mr Gourmet Burger, explains: “My advice would be to come on holiday here. It's cheaper, more Spanish and more family orientated and you can pop down the road to Puerto Banus or Mar-bella for your fix whenever you feel like it.”San Pedro Alcántara might have come late to the party, but she looks like being the belle of the ball.

28 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 27San Pedro special28

IT is slowly becoming known as 'the furniture triangle'.And the San Pedro area is literally full of excellent

places to furnish your house.Whether you are looking for sumptuous sofas, decorative

AS GOOD AS NEW: Kristel with some of the recycled wood furniture at the Wood Factory

The San Pedro area is one of the best on the coast to furnish your home

pieces or antique doors there is plenty on offer.One of the best established is Imperial, whose Dutch owner Tony Beeks has been serving the coast up in the Campo de Gibraltar for years.

The furniture triangle

The shop in the San Pedro in-dustrial estate is full of good quality furniture imported from around the world and Tony is a personable sort of chap always happy to help and advise.

Another interesting place around the corner is the Wood Factory, which provides furniture of a very different kind.Made entirely out of recycled wood, the majority imported

29www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201229San Pedro special29

GREAT STOCK: Some of the wares at House & Gardens

ALADDIN'S CAVE: Dutch antiques specialist Jelle at Cavon and (left) one of his team repairs a door

from Holland, there is a huge range of tables, benches, so-fas and chairs.Also available made-to-mea-sure – a team puts it together in a workshop next door – the style is fast becoming the rage this year.As owner Kristel Schoeman-Daneel explains: “We are get-ting so many enquiries and are battling to turn things around quickly.“Best of all, because it is re-cycled wood we can keep the costs down.”Another interesting place, also run by a Dutchman Jelle

Haagsma and his Swedish business partner Camilla, is the long-established Cavon.Hard to miss, sitting right on the main road after the tun-nel, this is one fabulous Alad-din's Cave full of antique fur-niture, doors and other amaz-ing artifacts.

Set up 35 years ago, this is one place you really must visit even if not buying... and particularly around lunchtime when you might get offered a glass of rose.There is a stunning range of curios, as well as candle-sticks, coins and chandeliers.

“I have always been a collector,” explains Jelle, sitting in front of a stack of manu-als and encyclope-dias on the antiques world.. “I got it from my grandfather who was a painter.” Arriving in Andalucia as a sailor in the 1970s, he had ended up setting up a thriving antiques busi-ness, which continues to this day.The most incredible heavy oak doors – some which date back centuries – can weigh up to 500 kilos each and cost as much as 4,500 euros.But there is also plenty of good value furniture and collectible items well under 100 euros and they also make their own beeswax pol-ish which is exported around the world.The polish is also for sale at his partner Camilla's daughter's exciting new shop Te-jaima, up on the Ron-da road.Finally another new shop House & Gar-den has recently been opened in the Gua-dalmina area.Formerly Batavia it stocks an excellent range of mir-rors, lamps, pictures, outdoor furniture and sofas.

30 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

WHERE TO EAT

30 San Pedro specialWHILE Marbella's got the stars, San Pedro's got the talent. And while people head to Marbella or Puerto Banus to be seen punters go to San Pedro to be fed.And you can certainly eat well in San Pedro, where, in my opinion, there are three or four excellent restau-rants.Aside from a couple of great beachside joints, the real stalwart must certainly be Albert & Simon, which has perhaps been the coast's finest purveyor of French cuisine for nearly 30 years.It is little short of a scandal that this wonderful restau-rant run by brothers Albert and Simon does not have a Michelin star.Head chef Albert is con-stantly upping his game and producing food to put many of France's own top restau-rants to the sword.Much of this is due to his selection of quality ingredi-ents and a constantly evolv-ing menu.He is also the region's elected member of the Eurotoques group, which counts Spain's best eateries Arzak, Akelare and formerly El Bulli on its roster, not to mention many other Eu-ropean luminaries, such as Paul Bocuse.Around the corner is anoth-er fine spot, also dabbling in

The real stars of MarbellaUnderstated, but San Pedro is where those-in-the-know go to eat, writes Jon Clarkea range of creative cuisine.Umami, owned by long-time coastal restaurateur Lee Varhos, is exactly what it claims; 'a world of fla-vours'.Having lived around the world, the friendly Turk was always going to run an in-ternational place. But Uma-mi has everything from Thai fishcakes to Lebanese felafel and from Swedish herrings to Moroccan spring rolls.But there is also a compre-hensive sushi menu (from Japan, of course) as well as plenty of salads and specials of the day.“We are trying to change the face of San Pedro,” he ex-plains. And he has certainly done that.

Another man on a mission to help change the face of San Pedro is Malcolm

Spendlove, who has been at the helm of the ever popular Passion Cafe for the last few years.Not content to run, argu-ably San Pedro's busiest restaurant, he has now undertaken a new project Mr Gourmet Burger on the main drag.Only open for half a year, this fantastic spot is already getting a good name. Loose-ly modelled on the UK's GBK chain, it definitely pro-vides some of the best 100% beef burgers on the coast.“We get a huge cross section of people from groups of mums and toddlers to ladies in their fifties,” explains the Irishman. “People like to eat a burger as simple as that

and this is my take.”Kids will partic-ularly like mak-ing their own 'Junior G' burg-ers in 'four easy steps', while there are other choices such as lamb tikka and an enticing chicken menu.By far the most exciting open-ing over the last year though has to be Rincon de la Sala however.In pole position in the heart of the town with a great pavement location, it is this restaurant more than any other that em-bodies the revit-alisation of San Pedro.Part of the popu-lar La Sala group, in my opinion the food here – care of for-mer Albert & Simon trainee Manolo – is better than its sister restaurants.There is a busy menu that changes regularly and there is a daily 'menu del dia' with a couple of choices that weighs in at just over 12 eu-ros.

Oh and if you are lucky you might just bump into a range of footballers, who part own the restaurant in-cluding David Bentley, Paul Robinson and David Pleat.I had the pleasure of recent-ly eating opposite former Spurs manager George Gra-ham, who turned up with his leg in plaster.

TASTY: Ladies lunch at Umami

TALENT: Chef Albert

31www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012 31

Taste sensationSan Pedro

THERE is a new guy in town! Mr Gourmet Burger on Avda Luis Braille 20 opened its

doors to provide the town with a brand new funky restaurant, with a fresh take on burgers. A new concept in dining on the Costa del Sol, it brings together fun and informality with high quality cooking, to provide a unique range of lux-ury speciality burgers served in relaxed funky surroundings. Although the restaurant is owned by the team behind the successful nearby Pas-sion Cafe Mr Gourmet Burger offers a completely different

Great burgers, great salads and cold beers at Mr Gourmet Burger

dining experience. Eating out should be an en-joyable experience; food should be exciting, service friendly and the atmosphere uplifting – so why not apply this to burgers? Setting the tone, there is a life size Mr Gourmet Burger positioned outside the res-taurant allowing for kids and the young at heart, to have a photo taken. The surroundings are mod-ern, fun and equally appeal-ing for families and those who simply enjoy substantial food, great flavours and cold beer. Forget traditional fast food,

this is the modern alternative. All burgers are made of excel-lent quality ingredients; we’re talking about succulent lamb, juicy steak, caramelized on-ions, smoked mozzarella, pickled ginger and avocado. With over 20 years in the restaurant business and hav-ing weathered the storm of the San Pedro road closure, Passion Café is well placed to make this new venture a great success.

Mr. Gourmet Burger, Avenida Luis Braille no 20, San Pedro de Alcántara. 952 785 257 www.mrgourmetburger.com

BURGER MASTER: Malcolm Spendlove

32 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

SAN PEDRO IS AN AREA OF SURPRISING COLOUR, FROM ITS EXCELLENT LINDAVISTA GARDEN CENTRE TO ITS BEACHES, WATERSPORTS AND THE VIEWS UP TOWARDS RONDA

Guadalmina –Great for business

A World of Colour and action

33www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012 33

IT is one of the most under-stated, yet exclusive areas of the Costa del Sol.Little known to tourists, yet for

those-in-the-know Guadalmina is THE place to spend their holi-

days.L o c a te d to the west of San Pe-dro, this is one of the old-est and wea l th i -est areas of Mar-bella. A p a r t f r o m

boasting two top notch golf courses, there are doz-ens of excel-lent shops and restaurants and hundreds of mega-million mansions dis-creetly tucked away along the tree-lined leafy streets. It is here that Formula 1 world champion and playboy James Hunt once lived, frequently being seen jogging around the area, while former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has a second home here.

Guadalmina –Great for business

San Pedro special

Aznar’s visits to Guadalmina always see a huge increase in security, with around the clock police protection out-side his huge villa, as well as

fre-quent road blocks. Aznar’s wife, Madrid mayor

Ana Botella likes to spend her time hacking around the golf course, while Aznar eats at vari-ous restaurants, includ-ing Asador Guadalmina or drinking at the yuppie bar Donde Fatima. Every holiday season - especially during Easter and August - Guadalmi-na is packed with up-wardly mobile Madrile-ños and the PP faithful who con-verge on the area with the hope of

perhaps rubbing shoulders with Aznar. It is not for noth-ing that the area gets the nickname 'Guadalpijo' during these months.

"It is certainly a well to do affluent area," says Tina Law, who owns upmarket deli What's Cooking opposite Su-persol. "We can sell any number of upmarket gourmet items. In fact the better quality the better."Her shop, which she runs with husband Adrian has a fantastic mix of fine foods and dishes ready to take away. There are wines from Ronda, ham from

Aracena and cheeses from all over. And you can now even eat in the shop.Local businessman Paul Be-van, who runs a furniture shop in the main shopping area, says: “I think that Gua-dalmina has improved since the road got better. The rea-son that I moved here is the location. “Basically I couldn’t get this shop for what I paid in Mar-bella, so it was a no brainer. My unit has a great position, ample parking and it’s easy to find us. It is a great place to do business.”

QUALITY: What's Cooking (above), while (left) Aznar at Albert & Simon restaurant

UPMARKET: Taking tea in Guadalmina

34 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

San Pedro gets top marksTHE Advanced Tutorial College (ATC) offers a variety of educational options to students sitting their A-levels. And since opening at a fantastic new loca-tion, ATC has seen an influx of new students. “We're unique because we tailor the timeta-ble to suit the individual student,” explains Dr Dianne Firby, Head of School. “ We have students who come part time because they are doing scholarships - golf or tennis, for example, while another is a top rider so she can only study in the afternoons. So we can devise individual timetables and that’s quite unique because in a big school it is impos-sible. “Most of our students go back to the UK or the USA, with the majority of them wanting to get into universities in the UK if they can. We also have had a growing number of Rus-sian students.”Having been based in the area for over a decade, Dianne has seen dramatic changes in the area. “When we first started coming here, San Pedro was on its own. All this was just beach and fields. Now Guadalmina has almost merged into San Pedro.“Getting to San Pedro now is very easy, with the tunnel and the new roads, and when they finish the landscaping and the planned parks that will go on top of the tunnel, San Pedro will be beautiful”.

ATC set up in 2004 and follows the English National Curriculum allowing students to gain A Levels, AS levels or IGCSEs. It aims to keep class sizes no bigger than seven people.

35www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201235

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36 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

FOR the smart investor who wants to buy in Marbella but is looking for a better deal then San Pedro is ideal.San Pedro offers you the Marbella address yet is only a five minute drive to the old town and a 15 minute walk to Puerto Banus.Best of all, houses and apart-ments here come in at a much more manageable price.“At the same time everything is on your doorstep and the in-frastructure is more modern,” explains Daniel Enquist, from estate agent Crystal Shore.“San Pedro is one of the most sought after areas in the 200,000 to 250,000 euro range and there is plenty on offer,” he adds.And since the tunnel has been finished the area is see-ing increasing demand.“There is a good vibe here now and a real sense of pos-sibility,” he explains. “In fact we are so busy we are actu-ally taking on new staff.”The agency, based in Gua-dalmina, was set up in 2006 by Peter and Paula Smith from Nottingham.Previously in the textile trade, they have done well to build

Only for smart investors

up the company to one of the most popular in the area.“In particularly Guadalmina has a strong market. It is very Spanish and very popular with Madrilenos and buyers from the Basque Country,” adds Enquist.Another local agent Alistair Stephenson has a good range of properties with his agency Alcantara Estates.“We have become very busy this year and the market seems very buoyant,” he ex-

plains. Finally you will certain-ly want to take a look at La Heredia Real Estate Solutions website, which has a range of good properties in the area.Set up by Tom and Fiona Sweeten in 2010 they have an office in the attractive same name development up on the Ronda road.“Now is definitely the time to buy and demand is strong with often more buyer com-peting for the same property,” explains Fiona.

36 San Pedro special

EXCLUSIVE: Some of San Pedro's most affluent villas

37www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

38 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

IT has completely taken the town by storm since open-ing last year.Revolutionising the centre, El Rincón de La Sala has

very much the same vibe as its sister venues in Puerto Ba-nus... but there is a distinctly more Spanish flavour.Much of its success is thanks to the vision of its owner Ian Radford.But a lot is also to do with the capable chef Monolo de la Chica, who trained under Dani Garcia at La Moraga, as well as San Pedro stallward Albert & Simon.The extensive menu contains an array of Sala Group's firm favourites such as ‘Chateau-briand served with baby pota-toes, grilled tomatoes, mush-rooms and Béarnaise sauce,’ along with an exquisite se-lection of authentic Andalu-cian-style dishes including ‘shrimps served in a paper cone’ and ‘crayfish served with garlic and chilli.’ In addition to the gourmet

IT is an original new concept. The interesting shop Tejaima, up on the Ronda road, involves a clever idea where local artists, designers and other clients literally rent out space to show off their wares.“We have had so much interest up and down the coast for the idea,” says owner Pernilla Smidt.Using a 'M2' logo similar to music station MTV, the things on sale are an eclectic mix of jewelry, furni-ture, artwork and even wine.“I even have estate agents renting some space,” she adds.

La Sala style in San Pedro38 San Pedro special

Going the extra nine metres

a la carte menu, there is a snack menu containing the El Rincón Burger and a light bites menu boasting Fried Aubergine with Cane Honey and Curried Tempura Chicken

Salad.The restaurant meanwhile is run by Miguel Mena, who pre-viously worked at Gorki.As Sala Group’s chairman Ian Radford explains: “Our aim

for El Rincón was to not to stray from our roots, giving it the same feel and fondness our clients love at La Sala but adding an authentic Spanish twist.”

The hippest new Rincon de la Sala restaurant has created a distinctly hot vibe in the heart of the old town, writes Giles Brown

39www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

40 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 201330

41www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

OPThe Olive Press’ monthly youth and education sectionXtreme

WHEN people refer to a school be-ing ‘international’ it can mean many different things, in the context of the ‘Costa del Sol’ it generally means British. Lessons taught in English by native speaking teachers is the industry standard among the most estab-lished, including Swans.These schools offer a range of dif-ferent academic courses, in the secondary years all offer IGCSEs or GCSEs to their students. This means that as well as the normal ‘core’ subjects of Science, Maths and English students can study History, Geography, ICT, Busi-ness, French, and of course Span-ish. In some cases students can also even study Mandarin. There is also an emphasis on the more creative subjects of Art, Mu-sic, Drama and Physical Education until, at least, the age of 14. Almost all the international schools have adopted the system known as the International Baccalaureate Di-ploma as their pre-university course or what some call the ‘Sixth-form’, although a few still offer the more traditional ‘A-level’ system. What do parents look for?It is often the case that parents will visit a range of different schools be-

Great Outdoors

By Mason Jones

Prison for skive parentsA SPANISH couple are spending three months in prison after failing to send their children to school.The Chipiona couple were also hit with a 960 euro fine for not insisting that their two daughters at-tended classes. Cadiz province is currently looking into 52 cases of truancy, 28% of which related to repeat offenders.

THE National Trust is using an in-genious way to get kids back out-doors.While computers and technology are often blamed for creating ‘couch potato’ children, the British nature body believes it can be used to make them more interested in nature.As part of its Outdoor Nation cam-paign, the organisation is employ-ing the newly developed ‘iSpot’ app to help children identify plants and animals.“The online world can be seen as the enemy, but it doesn’t have to be,”

said the app creator Martin Har-vey. “Children grow up surrounded by technology and tend not to per-ceive the same divide between real

and online worlds that exists for adults.“By linking real natural history to online interaction we get the best of both worlds,” he added.A recent study found that young-sters spend an av-

New app gets children out of the house enjoying nature

erage of two-and-half hours a day watching television, with less than 10% of playtime spent in wood-lands or other ‘wild areas’.In Spain, more time is spent out-doors, much of this put down to the weather.A recent study found that 65% of Spanish children watched televi-sion between one hour and three hours of television a day with an average of around two hours a day.

fore making a choice for their son or daughter’s future education. Here is a basic parent’s guide to choosing an ‘international’ school:•Facilities – carefully inspect the facilities...can you imagine spend-ing over 35 hours a week in the sur-roundings provided by the school? Check the state of classrooms, the corridors, the library, the canteen and even the bathrooms!

•Location – where is the school? What is the road access? Can you park, pick-up and drop -off easily? Is there public transport available?

•Price – given the current eco-nomic climate this is a factor that is becoming more important for some. Most schools charge termly tuition fees (you can normally pay them all at once if you wish) and there are additional costs as well. Schools will provide a full breakdown of costs upon request.

• Academic excellence – Of course the most importance of all these factors is the quality of education. Can the school help your children reach their full potential and move onto the university of their choice, whether in Spain or abroad?

What do international schools offer?

FUNDRAISERS: Swans Caritas charity day

42 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

FORGET Ascot, it was clearly the hat-wearing event of the year at The British School of Marbella (BSM) on the last day of term.Balanced precariously high upon the heads of countless youngsters was an array of Easter Bonnets so astonish-ing brilliant that they inspired gasps of awe and open-mouthed amazement from passers by.Hours of meticulous plan-ning went in to the building of these impressive feats of en-gineering for the annual show down in the school hall.A panel of judges chose a winner and runner up from each year to receive a hard-earned chocolate egg.Of course staff also dutifully donned their headgear for the competition and paraded around the school hall not

IRISH poet Seamus Heaney has urged par-ents and teachers to teach youngsters poetry ‘off by heart’ and as early on as possible.The author of what are considered to be some of the most important poems in English Lit-erature - including ‘Digging’ - said children should be taught to memorise poetry which will set them up for a lifetime of poetry ap-preciation.Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival he was responding to education secretary Mi-chael Gove’s proposals to put memorising poetry on the primary school curriculum.

VITAL VERSESLearning poetry from a young age can bring benefits in later life, claims celebrated poet

By Frances Leate

30OP XtremeFancy amovie?If you want to head to the cinema this weekend, but your Spanish is not up to scratch, check out the VO/VOSE films (Original Version) available in your area

Hansel & GretelGran Cinema Marbella18:00 (weekdays)Cinesur Mirimar, Fuengirola16:15, 18:15, 20:15 (weekdays)Plaza Mayor, Malaga20.30 (daily)

Beautiful CreaturesCinesur Mirimar, Fuengirola16:30, 19:00 (daily)Plaza Mayor, Malaga18.15, 20:45 (daily)King Bastion leisure centre, Gibraltar18:00 (daily)

Wreck it Ralph (top)King Bastion leisure centre, Gibraltar15:30 (weekends)

AladdinKing Bastion leisure centre, Gibraltar16:00 (weekends)

When asked about plans to ‘force’ children to learn po-ems by heart at school, he said: “I believe in people learning poetry by heart, definitely.“If it is not done at an early age it is difficult for the ear to pick up and appreciate poetry in later life.”He also said that poetry can have an important role in the lives of those going through crisis, providing them comfort.

SWANS Primary School celebrated World Book Day dedicated to liter-ary themes globally.Students discussed how important books are in their lives and what it means to be able to have access to so many books. There was a presentation by the au-thor Michael Rosen and illustrator Helen Oxenbury, and the children were taken on a fantastic journey into the book ´We´re going on a Bear hunt´. The children were also invited to take part in a competition to design their own book marks.

What a bookish lot

feeling the slightest bit silly.And based on the results of an ‘applause-o-meter’, nurs-ery teacher Mrs o’Regan was crowned this year’s Easter Bonnet champion.Other highlights of the morn-ing included a parent versus child Easter Quiz. Not surprisingly, egg heads Julieta, Christian and Sebas-tian annihilated a team of parents who had volunteered (and I use that term loosely) to take on the might of the children’s combined brain-power. To be fair, the adults ques-tions were quite hard and included having to spell the name of the only bird that undergoes a form of hiberna-tion before waking up in the spring (the lesser known Pha-laenoptilus Nuttallii those of you who are wondering).

Top hatsHeadmistress Sian Kirkham takes her hat off to the participants in this year’s Easter Bonnet parade at BSM

43www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012Top Dollar The Olive Press fortnightly business section taking a look at the Spanish economy and offer-ing tips on how to save AND make money

Va va Voom...

EU bosses have been forced to step in to deny that sav-ings accounts in Spain, Italy and other European countries could be raided if needed to preserve Europe's single currency.It came after the Dutch chairman of the Euro group claimed that the so-called 'Cyprus solution' could be used elsewhere to prop up failing banks.While he later insisted that he had been misunder-stood, Jeroen Dijsselbloem told the Financial Times that the involvement of shareholders, creditors and large customers in the Cy-prus bailout deal could be-come a model for the future.

SAVINGS SCAREEU denies that savers could see accounts raided to save the euro

By Frances Leate

The policy had naturally alarmed hundreds of thou-sands of British expats liv-ing in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, who have trans-ferred their savings to Euro-pean banks.Dijsselbloem said: “If there is a risk in a bank, our first question should be 'Okay, what are you in the bank go-ing to do about that? What can you do to recapitalise yourself?“If the bank can't do it, then we'll talk to the sharehold-ers and the bondholders, we'll ask them to contribute

in recapitalising the bank, and if necessary the unin-sured deposit holders.”However, the Dutch finance minister tried to row back from his comments by in-sisting that ‘Cyprus is a spe-cific case’.His comments were also described as 'wrong,' by Eu-ropean Central Bank execu-tive board member Benoit Coeure.The European Commission likewise rushed to assure Europeans that the involve-ment of large depositors and creditors in the bailout of Cypriot banks was in no way a model for the future. "The Cyprus case is unique for several reasons," said Michel Barnier.

SMALL companies in debt could cause more problems for Spain’s creaking economy, say business experts.Defaults by small and medium-sized enter-prises (SMEs)- the biggest employers in Spain- could be a factor leading to a further dip into recession.Javier Santoma, finance professor at Spain's IESE business school, said: “You can be sure that if these companies' bad debts rise, you're going to see more bad loans to families and credit card bills that won't be paid.”One in 10 Spanish loans were in arrears for three months or more in December, and re-search firm Axesor said February was the worst month since 2008, with more than 1,000 com-panies filing for creditor protection.Unemployment, which is already at a record high of 26%, is also expected to climb as a re-sult of struggling businesses as employers are forced to lay off staff.

Cash-strapped businesses could cause more trouble

RENAULT has announced the creation of 700 new jobs in Spain. The French firm, which became famous for its Va Va Voom catchphrase and a beautiful French model Nicole (pictured), is expanding due to the popularity of its new Captur model (above). The majority of the new positions will be working on the production line at its Valladolid factory with 100 workers also being hired at the Sevilla plant.

44 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

Richard Alexander Financial Planning Limited is an appointed representative of L J Financial Planning Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK. Contact him at Richard@ra-fp.com

Top Dollar Road to Riches, by Richard Alexander

I'M not sure if I should apologise for the headline but it occurs to me that the recent proposals to levy a tax on bank account bal-ances in Cyprus might just give others ideas!Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain (ie the PIGS) were all mentioned at one time or another over the last week or so as other coun-tries that might consider a similar levy.At the time of writing, the Cypriot government has voted against the terms of the latest bail out plans but my fear is that this type of idea could gather momentum in other areas. Of course if common sense dictates then they won't do it, as it could spark a

Is Cyprus just more fodder for those PIGS?

run on the banks, the like of which we saw in the UK with Northern Rock and once that happens we are into a pretty serious bail out scenario.To a certain extent it is re-

ally about politicians play-ing politics here as well and a certain amount of sabre-rattling from Germany; so much so that it is difficult for the man in the street to interpret what it all really means.However, the thought of potentially losing up to 10% of savings in one fell swoop does beg the question – how safe are our savings in the bank?For EU member coun-tries there is an insurance backed deposit guarantee scheme to protect balances of up to 100,000 euros per investor in each banking in-stitution.This has led to many peo-ple spreading their money around several banks which

of course helps in normal times. But I am not sure of the legality or implications of governments being able to take money from sav-ers, to provide cash to avoid banks failing when they had be assured by the gov-ernments that the deposit guarantee scheme protects them if a bank does fail. Put that all together and it seems a rather raw deal for the savers – yet again you may say!Perhaps it is time to review some of the sayings we use when talking about security – “It’s as safe as houses!” for example.So what lessons can we learn from these situations and how can we protect ourselves from the preda-

tory influences that under-mine markets and see hard earned money disappear in tax?Well far be it from me to start a one-man run on the banks but the answers are simply that a robust fi-nancial planning exercise will ensure that you have a reasonable spread of in-vestments.Ultimately you should try not to be over exposed to any one market

and wherever possible, investments should be 'wrapped' in a way to mini-mize tax. Funnily enough, you may just find that there are better returns to be made than cash depos-its as well, without taking on higher risk along the way. It is certainly a good time to ask a few questions and to perhaps take stock of where you are with your capital.

Richard Alexander wonders if the latest scheme to tax savers in Cyprus could be introduced elsewhere

45www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012Top Dollar

JUST when you thought it couldn't get worse Cy-prus happens. This bombshell happened in such a short space of time and will see big depositors and other

creditors lose large sums following the radical down-sizing of the country's biggest bank, the Bank of Cy-prus, and the shuttering of its second largest, the Cy-prus Popular Bank.It is the first time such a 'bail-in' has been seen in the three-year euro-zone crisis. And it is incredible that the EU waited until Cyprus was on the brink of mass bank failure before trying to reach a deal.The concern for some has been that this could spread to the other struggling economies within the Euro, but this seems unlikely as they have already received their bailouts and are currently on track or ahead of their pledges set out when they were in Cyprus’s position. In January it was reported that some of the banks who borrowed money cheaply via the ECB to help keep them afloat have already started to repay them early. It has been boosting the Euros' strength, so it seems unlikely that this current disaster in Cyprus will spread outside its border. As before, most of the damage was done in the run up to the bailout and a swift recovery usually came

quickly afterwards. For clients holding off on large sums of money, they may want to be aware of this pattern as Cyprus strengthening in the coming weeks could render a Sterling surge dormant.Take a step back though and nothing has really been solved. Cyprus may just be able to raise €5.8billion by destroying what is left of its banking system, but what will the island do next time it needs a cash injection? And it will come.With the family silver already sold, it would appear that full-scale default has simply been deferred rather than averted.

Keith is head of European Sales at HiFX. To contact HiFX and find out how the team can help you with your international transactions, call in at the office in Centro Plaza, call 951 203 986 or email olivepress@hifx.co.uk

‘Bail in’ balls upKeith Spitalnick believes Cyprus was a mess but the problems won't spread

46 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

47www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012Top Dollar

A LOOK TO THE LEFT

WELL the last two weeks have been a real helter-skelter, what with the Cyprus bank shenanigans and the general uncertainty that these

numbskulls in Brussels have caused.Ask yourself, would you give ANY one of the finance bosses a job at the moment? (30 minutes pondering...and no, neither would I.)There is no doubt the European banking and finance system is in a total mess at present, but I don’t hold the radical view that it is about to collapse in its entirety.So to suggest that you immediately convert your savings to gold, or lodge your cash in a Lithuanian bank is not my advice.However if you have a little spare, well why not spread it around.So what to do? As mentioned before, it is im-portant to define between what you spend on lifestyle investments and investments that have to achieve earnings over shorter peri-ods. If you are looking for a viable income, then we suggest that you look into the commercial property market here in Spain and Portugal. Now let me give you a warning. This area of the market is vastly different from the resi-dential market and holds benefits and pitfalls in equal measures.On the downside, buy the wrong property or portfolio, and you will stand little chance of earning from rental incomes and there are still substantial areas in this market that are still droppingOn the upside however, we now have clients receiving between 7.5% and 11% income on recent purchases with expected capital im-provements within the next couple of years

It's a Helter-skelter ride

But there is no need to make a run on your bank just yet, writes David Ballard in his second column

of around 9%. And even small investors can normally expect at least 50% bank financing on these properties.We further have schemes whereby the actual tenants of these properties almost fully under-write the exposure of the owner for the duration of the tenancies. The final benefit of the commercial market is that it is far easier to resolve problems with commercial tenants, such as non payment.Over the past 13 years we have assisted in the acquisition of many commercial properties, ranging from small single retail unit invest-ments to large hotel and industrial units.And generally these clients have achieved the desired results even over the past difficult few years.Whatever your position, do proper research, so-licit good advice and take care.

Email David at info@intelligent-realty.com or call 693 751 858

EXPAT pensioners will receive a flat-rate pension from 2017.Following proposals made during last week’s budget talks, only those who have contributed for at least 35 years will get the proposed £144 per week. However, the new single-tier system

Pensioner shake-up

Proposals to change pension age as well as contribution requirements

will only affect people who reach retirement from the time it is introduced.Those already receiving a pension will continue to do so under existing rules.Also included in the Bill is the plan to increase the State Pension age to 67 be-tween 2026 and 2028.

Another suggestion is the idea of automatically re-viewing the State Pension age every five years.However, the propos-als have not yet been ap-proved by parliament and with a General Election in 2015 modifications to the Bill are likely to occur.

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49www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201251Top Dollar Welfare worries

Advertorial

THE Spanish government expected to collect around €2,500 million in unpaid taxes through the recent ‘tax amnesty’. But towards the end of 2012 only €150 million had been collect-ed with the disclosure that there was €12,000 million of unde-clared assets out there, much of it owned by foreign residents.In order for Spaniards and expats alike to meet this year’s dead-line for new law 7/2012, it has been extended in exceptional circumstances to the end of April.All tax residents and companies are now obliged to file a decla-ration disclosing the ownership of all non-Spanish assets over €50,000. This annual declaration is for informative purposes and does not involve paying any tax. However, having given the tax office all of this information they may then check that income and wealth has been declared. With fines starting at €10,000 it is imperative to check if this applies to you!This disclosure is not just for simple ownership of foreign as-sets but also for persons or companies who are beneficial own-ers, or have €50,000 or more in foreign assets. All shareholders of foreign companies must supply certificates of residence showing their tax paying status. If not supplied the company will be charged tax as an offshore company at 3% of the value of its assets.In the worst possible scenario if the tax office discovers a Span-ish tax resident owns an undeclared foreign asset it could pre-sume the whole asset value represents undeclared taxable in-come. It would regard the asset cost as general income generated in the oldest of the non-prescribed tax years (e.g. four years ago). Tax rates vary between 24% and 56% in various parts of Spain (15/30% corporation tax), including potential fines of 150% of the unpaid tax, late payment interest plus the fines for failing to disclose.The total payment would almost certainly be substantially more than the value of the hidden asset.Wincham sees a number of cases where the undisclosed for-eign assets do not, in fact, represent much of a problem and we can rectify by re-filing income declarations and paying a small amount of tax. This simple solution then allows the new declaration to be filed in April without any worries and a further declaration for your income will then be filed in June.

Contact Wincham International now to discuss your wealth and tax declarations. We can handle your Spanish tax matters for 2012/2013 for a fixed fee of £300 plus VAT.

Get your skates on for this month's declaration

THE Welfare Reform Act of 2012 sees the biggest shake-up to the welfare system since its introduc-tion. Steeped in controversy, it throws up the inevitable de-bate as to whether people will be better off, whether claimants are being ‘taxed’ and whether the changes are fair. The government claims that the introduction of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to replace Incapacity Benefit (IB) has already reduced the num-ber of claimants. What it conveniently ig-nores is that fact that those claiming contributions-based ESA can now only claim it for 365 days unless put in the ‘support group’.

Benefits consultant Kim Clark sheds light on the groundbreaking UK benefit reforms that come into place this week

This clearly penalises those people who have paid into the system by working but are no longer able to work. The government will point to the fact that they can con-tinue to claim ESA on an in-come-based basis once the 365 days are up, but this will reduce the household income of a couple where one member is earning a wage. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is gradually being phased out to be replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for those aged 16 to 64. Most people will have face to face con-sultations with health pro-fessionals as part of a more complex decision-making process which will doubt-less put a lot of people off

claiming. The worry is that many peo-ple who qualified for DLA will miss out on the extra income they so desperately need. Current recipients of DLA under the age of 65 will be contacted some-time after October 2015 to be re-assessed for PIP un-less their award runs out prior to that or they have a change in circumstances. Those aged 65 and over on April 8 2013 can continue to receive DLA for as long as they are eligible. At pres-ent children under the age of 16 can continue to claim DLA.Those living outside of the UK and in receipt of af-fected benefits will be con-tacted by the DWP to be re-assessed.

AttendenceI receive an increasing amount of enquiries con-cerning the transfer from Incapacity Benefit to ESA and a lot of people are hav-ing their benefit cut due to the 365-day rule. This is be-cause income-based ESA is not payable outside of the UK and this also has impli-cations for those claiming disability benefits. Disability benefits such as DLA, PIP and Attendance Allowance can now be claimed by people living in an EEA member state such as Spain but they must have what they term a genuine and sufficient link. This in broad terms means that they or a family member must be in receipt of a con-tributions-based payment such as state retirement pension or contributions-based IB or ESA. Many of those are taken off ESA will therefore also lose their en-titlement to DLA.I also receive a lot of calls from people wishing to claim DLA or Attendance Al-lowance only to be told by the DWP that they cannot do so if living in Spain. This is wrong. Others are told that they must have spent 26 weeks out of the previ-ous 52 in the UK prior to claiming. This is also wrong. My advice to people is to not be put off by this misinfor-mation and to put in claims regardless which will be as-sessed under current legis-lation.Contact Kim Clark Benefits Consultancy on 663 297 568 or visit www.ukbenefit-sinspain.com

50 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

51www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 20124157Law AGONY ANT

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED

To pay or not to payA RECENT court ruling by the European Courts of Jus-tice (ECJ) has given Span-ish Courts the right to be flexible regarding mortgage repossessions.But it has not declared Spanish eviction laws com-pletely illegal, as has been widely reported.

So what has changed?

Until now, Spanish repos-session laws were deemed inflexible and among legal professionals seen as a one-way street. So when a bank foreclosed on a client you ei-ther had to pay up the whole sum owed or launch crimi-nal proceedings to prove that the loan was fraudu-lently given. There were no other possible defenses to stop eviction.Now Spanish courts have the powers to delay or freeze the eviction process, while judges assess the fair-ness of certain terms and conditions within the loan contract.It comes after it was ruled that previous laws had cre-ated a significant imbalance

Antonio Flores takes a closer look at the new European Court ruling on mortgage repossessions and assesses whether it was right or wrong

to the detriment of the con-sumer. It will now add to rising pub-lic pressure on the govern-ment in Madrid to change a tough mortgage regime that has allowed banks to evict tens of thousands of strug-gling homeowners.

What did the ECJ par-ticularly object to?

The ECJ criticized the laws as they allowed banks to take away a home after just one failure to pay an install-ment, and allowed inter-

est rates to go as high as 18.75 per cent, as in the case of Mohamed Aziz on which the court was ruling (see below). The ECJ has ruled that Spanish Courts are now able to determine the validity of these clauses.

Why did it hap-pen?

The ruling dealt with the case of Mohamed Aziz, who in 2007 took out a mortgage of €138,000 from Catalunyacaixa, a lender that was later nationalised. He stopped pay-ing his instal-ments the follow-ing year, and was

eventually evicted from his home in 2011. Mr Aziz ar-gued his eviction was illegal because the original mort-gage agreement was unfair, and should have been an-nulled. He pointed out the contract allowed the bank to take away his home after just one failure to pay an instalment, and provided for a default interest rate of 18.75 per cent.

Was This a Good Rul-ing?

Well the EU ruling is likely to keep people in their homes and not on the streets. It is good as it will protect families who really need help, but at the same time others will now inevitably take advantage of it and live interest free (and payment free) for years. It is certainly not a good ruling for taxpayers who will ultimately have to pick up the tab for ev-eryone in this situation.

So how does this affect my existing mortgage loan?

The ECJ has opened the door for Spanish Courts to annul mortgage loan claus-es that are deemed unfair.However, it does not give the borrower the right to stop paying the loan, avoid the debt altogether or stay in the property for good without keeping up the re-payments. So don't think you can simply now get away with not paying your mortgage payments.

Ask AntQ. I am told that if I go to court over an unpaid debt, it will take years to re-solve. How true is this? A. According to the Judicial General Council, the average statistical term for a court to resolve an ordinary civil dis-pute is of 10 months. Depending on the specific court dealing with your case, you may have to add on a few more months.

Q. Are courts likely to favour a national over a foreign litigant? A. This recurring question is baseless and yet, it lingers in the minds of many. In a ruling as recent as March 11 this year, the Supreme Court ruled that for-eign investors in property should actual-ly enjoy 'more protection' as they were less likely to understand Spanish laws. The answer is therefore negative.

BENCHMARK: Aziz won legal ruling

52 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

53www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

3151T Sop alud53

talk radio europe

AN EXPAT who paid taxes in the UK for 40 years, was handed a whopping €1,180 bill for a one-night stay at a Bristol hospital.Sue Woodman, 56, who

I WAS NOBBLED BY THE NHS

EXCLUSIVEby Frances Leate

British expat charged €1,100 after being forced to spend a night in a UK hospital while on a trip back home

has lived in Alcala La Real for six years was forced to return to the UK last

June to care for her elderly mother, who was in the last stages of Alzheimer’s.During her three month trip she became ill herself and was admitted to hospi-

Leading health officials say ‘medical tourism’ could help lift Andalucia out of the recession

Sun, sand and surgery!

tal after suffering a panic attack.After a night of tests she was given the all clear and sent home to care for her mother, who was eventually taken into care.So it came as a real shock when a few weeks after return-ing to Spain her sister contacted her to inform her that a bill had arrived from the NHS.The letter also stat-ed that if she didn’t pay the money by the end of the month, she would be detained by bor-der control if she ever tried to re-en-ter Britain.Mrs Woodman, who is a Span-ish resident, said: “What upset me the most was that I have spent the majority of my life working in the UK and paying all my taxes.“I have had only two stays in hospital my entire life which was when I had my children.“I’d gone back to England, not for a holiday, but to care for my very ill mother. The last thing on my mind was ending up in hospital.“But I did and now I have had to pay for the consequences.”She added: “It has not been easy find-ing the money and I really dread to think how many other people have had to pay out in this way.”

SPANISH health bosses are hoping health tourism could be the answer to the country’s struggling econ-omy.Medical tourism is now worth around €75 billion worldwide, according to the Organisation for Econom-ic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Now tour operators, business leaders, private hos-pitals, and health authorities in Southern Spain are teaming up to promote the good value medical services here.Prices for medical treatment in Spain are around 30% to 70% cheaper than in the UK and for patients from the US the savings are even greater.For example, a nose re-shaping in a private UK hospi-tal would cost a patient anywhere between €3,535 and €4,710, but in Spain the same surgery is available for around €2,400. Prices for knee or hip replacements are around half what they are in Britain.Its reputation and high standards of care mean the Spanish healthcare system is currently ranked seventh in the world by the World Health Organization. Dr Miguel Such, head of cardiovascular surgery at Mal-aga’s Clínico Universitario hospital, said: “Our objec-tive is to attract foreign patients to Malaga’s many good private health centres and put Malaga on the global healthcare map.“Spain's tourism sector has been ignoring this market and we have been selling sun and sea without realizing that we could do much more. Our healthcare system is well regarded internationally, and there is significant demand from foreigners to use it.”

54 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

A BRITISH woman has narrowly escaped death after being bitten by a spider on an Andalu-cian beach.Sue Isaac, 58, (pictured left) was bitten on the

51T S54

FLESH-EATING SPIDER

NEARLY KILLED

MEMother of three spent six months in Spanish care after being bitter by rare spider

by Frances Leate

bottom by the dangerous insect while holidaying at a friend’s villa in Albox.It came after she sat on a sarong she had left out overnight on a sunbed.“It brought tears to my

op alud

55www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

Benefits•Strongerhands,wrists,low-back,hamstrings,calvesandAchil-lestendon•Decrease in back pain by strengthening the entire back andshouldergirdle•Elongatedshouldersandshoulderbladearea•Decrease in tensionandheadachesbyelongating thecervicalspineandneckandrelaxingthehead•Deepenedrespiration•Decreasedanxiety

How to do it•Startbysittingonyourkneesandshins,feettuckedinbehindyou.Solesoffeetfacingupwards,toespointingawayfromyou.Nestleyourbottomasfardowntowardsyourfeet,asyoucan.Donotstraintodothis;justrelaxwithgravity,sitting,weightdowntowardsthefloor.•Keepingyourbottomdownandbackwardstowardsyourfeet,openknees to hipwidth apart, stretch your torsoover yourthighswith arms stretched as far away fromyou as possible.Handsshouldbesplayedandpositionedshoulderwidthapart.Middlefingerspointforwards.Feelthestretchfromthebacksofyourarmsthroughandunderthearmpittoyourshoulderbladesanddownthesidesofyourtorso.•Withoutmovingyourhands,breathe inandcomeup, takingyourweightforward,ontoyourhandsandkneesandcurlyourtoesunderyourfeet,breatheout.Trynottomovehandsandfeetfromthisposition,throughoutthisposture.•Feelstrongthroughyourhandsandwrists,readytotakeyourweight.Breatheinandcomeupwithyourkneesbenttakeyourbottomintotheairtocreateastraight,inclinedline,fromyourhands toyourbottom.Breatheoutasyousettle intothepo-sition.Take a few roundsof breath as imagine you arebeingpulledupandback fromyourhips tocreatea45degree linefromthe floor throughyourhands,alongyour spine toyourbottom.

DownFacingDog-AdhoMukhaSvanasana

•Breatheinandasyoubreatheoutstraightenyourlegs,lockingyourkneesandtakeyourheelstowardsthefloor,donotmoreyourhandsorfeet.Don’tworryifyourheelsdon’treachthefloor.It’sabouttryingtotakeyourheelstowardsthefloorontheoutbreath.•Headisrelaxed,lookatyourkneesorfeet,chestisgoingback-wardstowardsyourknees.Takeregularbreathswithoutbreathlonger than the in breath only working on the out breath.Shouldersrotatetowardseachother,back,backislong,bot-tomup,heelsdown,smileandbreathe.ImaginetheshapeofasoftupsidedownV;asoftslopefromthehandstobottom.••Holdposturefor7roundsofbreath ifyoucan.Workingthepostureontheoutbreath,outbreathsinyogaarelongerandslower,releasethetensiononthisbreath.Don’tstrain.Breathinandwhenyoubreatheoutcomeoutthewayyouwentin,backontohandsandknees,thenbottomtoheels.Bringyourarmstoaplacetorelaxandbreathe.Noticehowyoufeel.••Ifyouhaveanyconcernsaboutpractisingyogapleaseconsultyourdoctor.••RachaelHemming;634872450•www.theyogicemporium.com

Yoga with Rachael Hemming

eyes, it was like a bee sting but it didn't go away,” she explained.Over the next week Isaac started to feel unwell and noticed that a small bruise had developed on the inside of her left thigh.She added: “I felt poorly all the time, I had a fever and no energy.”

Within days, the bruise had doubled in size and was sur-rounded by clusters of blis-ters and she could not get out of bed. She was taken to hospital and admitted to an inten-sive care unit where doctors told her an infection had en-tered her body via the spider bite.

Despite being given anti-biotics, after eight days in hospital her left thigh had swollen to three times its normal size and the bruise had grown to 10 inches.Tests found 14 types of bac-teria in the wound, includ-ing flesh-eating Streptococ-cus pyogenes.She said: “'I thought I was

going to die, or, at best, I thought I was going to lose my leg.“At one point I asked to be left alone because I wanted to be by myself to die. I can't believe I got through it.”She required six months of further treatment before she could return home to Essex.

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56 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

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I've never been big on the whole trappings of religion, but as a friend of mine had never seen the Easter pro-cessions before, we decided to check out the Thursday night events in Marbella Old Town. It reminded me of when I lived in Estepona and rent-ed a flat in the centre that was slap bang on the pro-cession route. It made the whole thing very civilized. I just sat with a glass of something and watched the procession float by. Pretty much in the same way (and in the same, ahem, frame of mind that 'La Melanie' does when she watches Antonio do his thing during Easter week in Malaga. Allegedly) This Easter, however, en-tailed spending about an hour and a half trying to find an above-ground park-ing space or paying through the nose at Marbella's more than a little pricey under-ground car parks. Obviously my prayers to the Parking Gods fell on deaf ears so, having left the car three floors underground, we made our way to join the crowds on Marbella's main street. Perhaps it is the C of E in me,

Following Virgins through Marbella

Proving that things are not always what they seem, I came across this gem of a photo taken of some Afro-Ameri-can tourists during Easter Week and posted on Face-book. What a su-perb double mean-ing, if you get my southern States of America drift.

but the assembled throng in their finest - a smattering of furs and more Barbour jackets than the Grand Fi-nal of One Man and his Dog (Madrileños love their Barbours almost as polo shirts) - it struck me that perhaps being dressed up to the nines isn't the most

pious way to view a proces-sion depicting Christ's final suffering?It was however, quite a spectacle, although my friend didn't realise that the processions stopped so often. I helpfully explained that the Spanish didn't cele-brate Easter like Londoners

do the Notting Hill Carnival, with dancing crowds follow-ing a huge float with a great big sound system. That said I think the idea could catch on. Indeed a group of atheists in Granada have been demanding an alternative non-religious procession for some time,

although not sure it in-cludes music by Steel Pulse or Beenie Man.The following day my friend – perhaps predictably – Facebooked her friends that Giles had spent the previ-ous night 'Following Virgins through Marbella'. You can guess the response.

DEEP, DEEP SOUTH

You are what you eatIF you've lived in Spain for any length of time you'll know how important food is. The Menu del Dia is an inte-gral part of the working day, as a visit to any venta will confirm. In summer sleeping off the post lunch siesta is also writ-ten in stone. I remember the outcry during the pre-crisis years when it was sug-gested that the three-hour lunch break be scrapped and Spain should adopt the northern European model of one hour for lunch. The reason being that Spain was booming and because of air conditioning in modern of-fices, workers didn't feel the sleep-inducing effects of the the hot sun after lunch. In these crisis times, of course, we can take as many siestas as we wish during the day...But I digress. I've always thought myself something of a wizard in the kitchen, a budget Dani Garcia if you will, and was regailing a South American friend of mine with tales of the Asian-style dish that I had made the night before. "What was it?" my friend asked"Soy Chicken" I replied, ex-pecting her to be impressed. "I asked what you cooked, not what you are," she shot back with a withering look...

57www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012MOTOR5959J Up the ardin path

Ditch the itchFor millions of people

April is the start of the hay fever season, especially if you are

allergic to tree pollen. Hay fever is an overreaction of the immune system. Pol-len from trees, grasses and flowers trigger a re-sponse that causes the of-ten debilitating sneezing, wheezing and itchy eyes, not to mention fatigue and lack of concentration. For those who do not like the side effects of antihis-tamine pills, there are a number of herbal alterna-tives. Elderflower (flor de sauco) is one of the most effec-tive. Fresh flowers are dif-ficult to come by in Spain; however, you can buy ready-made elderflower tea-bags from the super-market. Make an infusion and drink three to four cups a day to ease hay-fever symptoms. The tea bags can also be used, once they are cooled – or better still chilled in the fridge, by placing them on the eyes to sooth the dry,

itchy eyes that often accom-pany hay-fever. Chamomile (manzanilla) tea bags or infu-sion also works well to relieve itching eyes.Eyebright was used by the Roman herbalist Dioscorides to treat eye infections in Ro-man soldiers. A cooled infu-sion reduces irritability and calms inflammation around the eye. Eyebright can be tak-en in pill form or as a tincture from herbal shops. Scutellaria baicalensis is a traditional Chinese herb used to treat hay-fever with some success. It can be bought online in pill form; as al-ways when buy-ing online only buy from repu-table companies.Quercetin, a p l a n t - b a s e d chemical, helps prevent the re-lease of hista-mine in the body therefore reduc-ing the symp-toms of hay fever. The good news is that Quercetin is

found in a number of com-mon foods, including apples, citrus fruits, onions, broc-coli, parsley, tea, tomatoes and perhaps best of all, red wine! Increasing these foods in your diet may help relieve mild symptoms. For those with more severe symptoms then supplements can be bought, but those with liver conditions, pregnant or nursing must avoid taking the supplements. Omega-3, which is found in oily fish, eggs and walnuts are also beneficial to allergy sufferer’s.

HE KNOWS HIS ONIONS! by Peter Langdale

I think I have been April fooled by this unsettled weather. Just when we thought spring was here

yet another front comes in from the north atlantic. For all those plants now sown or planted, they do not need irrigating and are re-ally romping on.One of the first fruits of the season is the nispero or loquat but it is quite sensitive to attack by the fruit fly. I suggest you check your fruit fly traps and where neccessary top them up or replace them. The next six weeks is an ideal time for planting any type of fruit tree or orna-mental tree/bush.If you are a member of the RGA (Reluctant Gardeners Association), it is best you

Tackling the spring-time pests

Herb specialist Sue Rodgers reveals the best natural remedies for avoiding hay fever

go on holiday as your gar-den needs you now almost day and night. I suggest you list your pri-orities so as to avoid going around in circles.Suggested list; (1) Weeds, (2) Plant re-maining borders, (3) Feed lawn, (4) Control snails, (5) Check fruit and veg for aphid (greenflies) and cat-erpillar.Snails...with the present weather conditions slugs and snails will become a real challenge.If using snail/slug pellets, be sure to keep them away from your household pets.However, if you do not wish to use slug pellets, they tell me coffee granules do a good job or a sprinkling of iron sulphate.

58 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

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60 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 COLUMNS FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

THEY are some of the fin-est strains of vegetable to be found anywhere in Spain.

Sowing the SeedsA revolutionary food bank is to protect rare vegetable species for future generations

Yet little by little the rare species including the Far-ajan tomato, the Monte-corto watermelon and Ar-riate's black courgette are in danger of disappearing.So concerned are ecolo-gists in the Serrania de Ronda that a new scheme has been launched to save them.The new project aims to create a seed bank to ensure that none of the vegetable plants are lost. Among other plants being conserved are the purple acelgas of Ronda, the broad bean of Benadalid and red maize of Genal-guacil.Another aim of the scheme run by the agricultural col-lege Universidad Rural Paulo Frere (URPF) in Benalauria is to eventually start reintroducing them again in the area.Rafael Galindo of Ecolo-gistas en Accion Silvema Ronda explained: “The objective of the seed bank is to conserve, regenerate and re-sow the Serranía with its traditional plants”The seed bank has benefit-ed from the donations of over 300 different types of plant, cereal and vegetable seed from local farmers in the area. A list of seeds can be found on www.universidadru-ralsr.com

61www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 2012

51

62 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013 46 FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

A ROCK used by a Spanish cattle farmer to press ham has turned out to be a mete-orite worth over €4million.Faustino Asensio Lopez, from Ciudad Real, found the rock in 1980 while tend-ing to livestock with his fa-ther.Sitting on his patio for over three decades, the 100kg rock was used as a weight during the curing process

Meaty treatfor his family’s ham busi-ness. However, alarm bells rang when Lopez saw a report on meteorite sightings in Spain and decided to get in touch with renowned geologist Juan Carlos Gutierrez Marco. After several tests, the rock has been confirmed to be a pre-historic metallic me-teorite which survived the impact of hitting the Earth.

Only three other meteorites of this kind are known to have been found in Spain.Previous ones were found near Que-sa, in 1898, near Granada in 1912 and near Zaragoza in 1950.Bizarrely, the Lo-pez family said that although they are considering selling the rock should they receive a strong enough of-fer, they have not ruled out keeping it for themselves.The family added that the meteorite has been ‘hidden in a safe place’, and will remain there until a decision has been made.Madrid's Mining Museum has already opened a dis-play of the discovery, fea-

turing a fragment broken off for testing, along with a full-size replica of the origi-nal rock.

Spaniard discovers his make-shift ham press could make him a multi-millionaire

LUCKY: Lopez family with priceless rock

A RESTAURANT in Velez-Malaga has opened to help families who are struggling feed them-selves in the current economic-crisis.The eatery, set up by the Velez Workers Asso-ciation along with other volunteers, aims to provide healthy and affordable food for anyone in need with two-course meals available at just €2.Located on Calle Pilar de San Roque, organis-ers say they will keep the restaurant open for as long as it is necessary.

Food for all

63www.theolivepress.es the olive press - October 04 - 27, 201239

JUST ten minutes from Ronda, there is a small hotel and restaurant which has been punching above its weight for many years. Deep in the countryside, in a really idyllic spot, Hotel Molino del Santo continues to offer excellent service and quality in all it does.With 18 comfortable rooms in the ho-tel and wonderful terraces alongside a mountain stream where amazing food is served every day, it is little wonder that thousands of people visit the hotel every year.

Great FoodTrip Advisor users love Molino del Santo – making it a winner for the 3rd consecu-tive year – and the restaurant gets rave reviews from all quarters.A whole range of eating options is availa-

ble from light snacks to full tasting menus where each course is matched with a glass of a local wine – and the wines are also delicious.The local train stops just 300metres from the hotel – but only four times a day. The timings are perfect to visit for lunch or to use the train in to return from walks in the area. Lunch by train from San Roque makes for an unforgettable day out. Fancy staying over? Ronda is just up the road but there is so much to see and do in the area that you may need to stay in the hotel for longer than you planned.For a different day out or a break from the coast, the reception staff – who all speak English – have great knowledge of the area and will be delighted to help you in any way they can.www.molinodelsanto.com T: 952 16 71 51

Award-winninghotel and restaurantrestaurant

advertorial

From Chef of the Sea to Chef of SpainANDALUCIA could soon boast Spain's 'top chef', af-ter Cadiz’s Angel Leon was short-listed for the title in the prestigious National Gastronomic Awards.The self-styled 'chef of the sea' will be up against Va-lencia’s Ricard Camarena and Madrid’s Mario Sando-val. Leon’s Michelin-starred restaurant Aponiente, in El Puerto de Santa Maria, was also recently rated as one of the ten best restaurants in the world by the New York Times.

By Rebecca Maguire

Andalucia's Angel Leon up for Spain's top gong

The famous eatery is re-nowned for its small por-tions that allow diners to experience new flavours: 'the essence of the sea on a plate'. The winner is to be selected by the Royal Academy of Gas-tronomy later this summer.A passionate sailor and fish-erman, Leon launched his first book ‘Chef of the Sea’ in December as an accompani-ment to a documentary on Canal Sur.

FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

THEY have spent the last seven years getting to know the Cadiz province like the back of their hands.And now Tomas and Ase Donso have

converted their knowledge of the region into a new book.The book Food & La Vida features over 50 of their favourite recipes.But it also has a series of tips on what to see and do in the area and where to shop.A laid back fellow Tomas loves the region

Never a dull momentA final recipe from Patria restaurant

The programmes and more information can be found on his website www.aponiente.com.

4 medium-sized sweet pota-toes1 handful coarse salt

Cheese dressing:200ml cottage cheese¼ lemon1 garlic clove, grated 1 tablespoon good virgin ol-ive oil (e.g. Masia el Altet)

To serve:8 basil leaves2 tablespoons honey

Rinse the sweet potatoes well and place them in an ovenproof dish sprinkled with coarse salt. Bake in a 180-degree oven for approx-imately 45-60 minutes – un-

Baked sweet potatoes with honey, cottage cheese and garlic (serves 4)

til the potatoes become ten-der and soft but not mushy. They should be like baked potatoes.

Cheese dressing:Stir a few drops of lemon juice, a little lemon zest, garlic and virgin olive oil into the cottage cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:Slice a cross into each po-tato and lightly squeeze with your thumb and index finger to open it up. Spoon the cheese sauce into the mid-dle and sprinkle chopped basil and lemon zest on top. Drizzle a little honey over the

top to finish.This is a delicious and fla-vorful recipe that works well served on its own or with a green salad. Chives also make a good alternative to basil.

and spends much of his time surfing on the nearby famous surf beach at El Palmar.The book also tells the story of what it was like for he and his wife to move to a foreign country and to raise two children here. “There has never been a dull moment,” says Ase.

64 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - April 4 - April 18 2013

No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the explicit permission of the publisher. While efforts are made to ensure the authenticity of advertisements and articles appearing in The Olive Press, the publisher does not accept any responsibility for claims made, nor do contributors’ opinions necessarily represent his own. Copyright Luke Stewart Media S.L 2012

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INSPIRED by the highest paid bullfighter in the world Jose Tomas, who lives on their doorstep, Estepona residents are taking to the ring themselves.A small group including lawyers, architects and even schoolchildren have started to learn the art of bullfight-ing.Estepona Bullring has launched the classes in a bid to teach the basics of being a matador to anyone inter-ested in the sport. Using a cart in place of a bull, the ap-prentice matadors are being taught the different passes and cape techniques used by their hero, who has lived in Estepona for some years.

THE doctor at the heart of a Spanish blood-doping scan-dal has caused speculation over whether Real Madrid also used banned drugs.Eufemiano Fuentes is cur-rently on trial accused of overseeing a large-scale doping operation within the cycling industry.However, the doctor has stated that he has also worked with athletes from other sports, including pro-fessional football.Leaving court, Fuentes told a Spanish radio station he was “interested in collecting a debt from Real Madrid”.Real Madrid insisted the money Fuentes referred to is from his participation as witness in a lawsuit the club undertook against French newspaper Le Monde.The club later confirmed it was suing him. The follow-ing day Fuentes quickly tried to backtrack stating: “I have never given a Madrid player as much as an aspirin,” he added.The football giants are not the first club to be linked to Fuentes. In February, for-mer president of Real Socie-dad, Inaki Badiola, admitted the club paid for their play-ers to be doped from 2001-2007, hinting at Fuentes as a possible supplier.

THOUSANDS of German football fans have been de-scending on the Costa del Sol this week to watch Mal-aga face their sternest test in history.The fans of Borussia Dort-mund are expecting an easy win against the minnows of Malaga in the quarter-finals of the Champions League tonight.On paper, the German champions should have no problems beating Malaga across the two legs of the competition.

ImpressiveMalaga, who currently sit in fourth position in the Span-ish league, have never pro-gressed this far before.It was a major surprise when they made the last eight following last month's 2-0 second-leg win over Porto.The German side's path to the quarter-final was just as impressive, finish-ing three points clear in a group which featured Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.However, Malaga winger Joaquin Sanchez is confi-dent his side can produce

Day of destinyBut can Malaga use their home advantage against the Germans in their Champions League quarter final tonight?

the goods in front of a sold out home crowd."These are the games that footballers want to play in, we're very happy to enjoy this atmosphere and that the fans can join in, you can sense the club's dreams ev-erywhere you go,” said San-chez. “These are games in which the big teams prove them-selves," he added.

Don’t forget your cape

Doping doc in links to Real Madrid

Malaga madnessThe port of Malaga will see its busiest month of the year with a total of 37 cruise ships expected to bring over 60,000 passengers to the city.

Park life€200,000 is to be spent on repairing facilities and improving lighting in Paloma Park in Benalmadena.